The heavy rains that fell on the Dominican Republic over the past forty-eight hours caused the death of twenty-one people, including three minors, the authorities announced on Sunday, November 19. Almost all provinces in the country (30 out of 32) were still on alert on Sunday, according to the authorities.
Nine of the 21 deaths occurred Saturday evening when a high wall collapsed on vehicles on February 27 Avenue, one of Santo Domingo’s main thoroughfares. The Ministry of Public Works announced in a statement that an “investigation” had been opened into the accident.
“Heaviest rainfall ever recorded”
Nine other people died in Santo Domingo, in separate accidents including the collapse of the wall of a house. A man was swept away by waters in the province of San José de Ocoa (south) while two other deaths took place in similar circumstances in the province of La Altagracia (east).
Four of the people who died in different incidents are American nationals and three are Haitians, according to the Emergency Operations Center (COE).
Some 13,000 people were evacuated from risk areas, according to the COE. Dominican President Luis Abinader said at a news conference Sunday that it was “the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the Dominican Republic.” He announced that classes were suspended until Wednesday in order to “guarantee the safety of children and young people”.
