They decree mourning for those killed in the rains in the Dominican Republic | News

The Government of the Dominican Republic decreed this Sunday three days of national mourning for the 21 confirmed deaths due to the torrential rains that have fallen in the country since last Friday, the Presidency reported.

READ ALSO:

Rains in the Dominican Republic leave several dead and damage

"Three days of official mourning are declared throughout the territory of the Dominican Republic as of the date of this decree and corresponding, therefore, to November 20, 21 and 22 of this year, on the occasion of the fatalities resulting from of the passage of the recent atmospheric phenomenon through the country," indicates the decree issued by President Luis Abinader.

During the days of mourning, the national flag will fly at half-mast in military compounds and public buildings throughout the Dominican Republic.

According to the latest bulletin from the Emergency Operations Center (COE), 21 people died due to heavy rains, urban and rural flooding, collapsed bridges and the collapse of a level crossing in the capital. But, some local media are considering higher death tolls.

Only in the fall on Saturday of the side walls of a level crossing in the center of Santo Domingo, nine people died, as the five vehicles in which they were traveling were trapped under the rubble.

Of the nine deceased, four were Puerto Ricans, two Haitians and three Dominicans.

This Sunday, after an emergency meeting of the Government and different meteorological and relief services, Abinader described these rains as "the event of greatest river precipitation ever recorded in the country."

In the last 24 hours, up to 431 millimeters have fallen in certain areas of the southern and southwestern region of the Dominican Republic, as well as in Greater Santo Domingo.

Most of the country, 30 of 32 provinces, remains on alert, with 14 in red level, 12 in yellow and 4 in green. In addition, the rains have caused cuts to basic services such as electricity and drinking water in some regions.

At the end of August, Storm Franklin passed through the Dominican Republic, leaving two dead and one missing. Also, it forced the evacuation of some 3,000 people from areas in dangerous conditions.