El Salvador says Agatha storm cleanup costs to reach 20 mln dollars

The cleanup costs after Tropical Storm Agatha struck El Salvador will amount to some 20 million U.S. dollars, the nation's Minister of Public Works Gerson Martinez said Wednesday.

Martinez told public television that the ministry had already deployed 600 of its employees across the country.

The figure of 20 million dollars was based on the costs of the cleanup work for Hurricane Ida, which hit Nicaragua, El Salvador and the United States in November last year. Ida, which was far worse than Agatha, cost El Salvador 188 million dollars in cleanup costs.

Agatha, the first named storm of the Pacific hurricane season, hit El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras on Saturday. Guatemala was the worst hit, with 156 people killed, 87 injured and more than 100 missing.

Jorge Melendez, director general for civil protection, said the state of emergency remained in place in nine regions due to landslides. Reports said 45 homes were damaged in El Salvador.

Source: Xinhua