Tropical Storm Stan reached hurricane strength and killed at least 125 people in Central America and Mexico, and relentless rains on Wednesday fueled fears of further devastation.

According to official reports, Guatemala and El Salvador were hit the hardest and have the largest numbers of victims.

The Guatemalan National Coordination for the Reduction of Disasters Wednesday said that at least 50 people died and 106 were injured by torrential rains in the past few days in the country.

It added that 36 houses were destroyed and 3,323 others damaged.

According to local press reports, hundreds of people spent the night on the roof of their houses on Tuesday because the water level exceeded two meters.

Guatemalan President Oscar Berger declared a state of "public disaster" on Wednesday due to the serious damage caused by Stan, which reached Category One on the 5-category Saffir-Simpson scale.

Berger, who will visit the devastated areas in the coming hours,told a press conference that he made the declaration to prevent the situation from worsening and to help the victims.

Under the state of "public disaster," road traffic will be restricted in the affected areas, sanitary perimeters established,and demonstrations and public gatherings banned.

The state of "public disaster" will also allow the government to set the maximum prices for basic goods so as to prevent monopoly in the market, guarantee the protection of borders and the evacuation of victims, the president said.

The Guatemalan radio said the number of victims could reach 70 because several areas in the western part of the country were buried by mudslides.

It was reported that 18 bridges collapsed, plantations were flooded and electricity pylons fell.

In El Salvador, at least 50 people died, including several children, when landslides buried their houses.

Salvadoran Interior Minister Rene Figueroa said 32,000 other people have been displaced in the country and are staying in 309 shelters all over the country.

According to the National Emergency Committee, the rains could continue into Thursday nationwide, although with less intensity than last weekend.

The Salvadoran Legislative Assembly declared a state of emergency and public disaster on Wednesday, enabling the government to request international aid and make use of resources from all the state institutions to cope with the emergency.

In Nicaragua, nine people, including six foreign nationals, died due to Stan, but press reports indicate that the number of dead could be 11.

The six foreigners were illegal aliens traveling on board a boat near the Fonseca Gulf.

Meanwhile, in Honduras, the authorities confirmed the death of four people -- one adult and three children -- and the missing of a member of the military.

Heavy rains have hit the whole country except the south.

In Costa Rica, two people were reportedly killed by the tropical rains. A red alert remains in force in seven districts ofthe country's northwestern province of Guanacaste.

In southern Mexico, where Hurricane Stan touched down on Tuesday, authorities reported the death of at least 10 people while 120,000 others were affected.

This year's Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, has been one of the deadliest and most active on record.

Hurricane Katrina, which slashed the US Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, was one of the worst natural disasters in the country's history, killing at least 1,212 people, displacing millions of others and costing the country up to 200 billion US dollars.

Source: Xinhua