Centroamérica

The number of deaths from the floods in southern Brazil rises to 84

The floods caused by the heavy rains in southern Brazil already leave at least 84 dead and 111 missing, according to the balance released on Monday by the regional authorities.

The rainfall, which is just beginning to diminish in that area of the country after a week without truce, has affected more than 840,000 inhabitants of 345 municipalities, who suffer from the lack of food, medicines and basic services such as electricity and energy.

Data from the local Civil Defense indicate that, of that total, 121,957 people have been forced to leave their homes and move to the enclosures of family and friends, while another 19,368 are housed in shelters improvised by the authorities.

The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, on the border with Uruguay and Argentina, has been the most hit by the rains, with at least 83 fatalities, while the neighboring state of Santa Catarina recorded one death.

The authorities are also investigating whether four other victims are related to the climate tragedy that plagues the south of the country and that is already considered the worst natural disaster in the history of the region.

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The level of the Guaíba River, whose waters flooded the historic center of Porto Alegre, the regional capital and where 1.3 million inhabitants live, stabilized above five meters, its largest mark.

With a population of 11 million inhabitants, Rio Grande do Sul has a total of 496 municipalities, of which 345 are affected.

At least 1.2 million homes and commercial establishments remain without electricity and 98 municipalities lack telephony and internet services.

Likewise, 61 roads reported total or partial blockages due to the flood of the rivers.

The Government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the whole country have turned to help the victims.

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There are currently more than 14,500 professionals in the region, most of the Armed Forces that have achieved 25,000 air, land and river rescues, with the support of 30 aircraft, 182 boats and 951 vehicles.

Weather forecasts announce new rains in areas already hit by storms due to a new cold front that will cause heavy rainfall.

Centroamérica

Guatemalan journalist José Rubén Zamora returns to prison after court revokes release

Businessman and journalist José Rubén Zamora was sent back to prison on Monday after the Second Multipersonal Criminal Court complied with an order from the Third Court of Appeals, which suspended his conditional release. The ruling followed a motion filed by the Public Ministry, arguing that Zamora posed a flight risk.

“I must comply with and enforce the order,” Judge Erick García stated during the hearing that revoked Zamora’s substitute measures, which had been in place since October last year.

Following the court’s decision, the founder of El Periódico was transferred back to prison, where he had already been incarcerated from July 2022 to October 2024.

Zamora’s defense team unsuccessfully requested the suspension of the hearing, citing two pending appeals aimed at overturning the Court of Appeals’ decision.

Centroamérica

Honduras extradites José Sosa to U.S. on cocaine trafficking charges

Honduras handed over an alleged drug trafficker to the United States on Tuesday under a bilateral extradition treaty that remains in effect after a diplomatic rift between leftist President Xiomara Castro and Washington was resolved, the Honduran Police reported.

José Sosa, a 48-year-old Honduran national, was transferred from the Támara National Penitentiary in the capital to Palmerola Airport, located about 50 km north of Tegucigalpa, according to an official statement.

“He was handed over to U.S. authorities under strict security measures,” the statement added.

The police explained that the suspected drug trafficker was wanted by a federal court in Florida on cocaine trafficking charges. His extradition was approved on April 30, 2020, but he had to serve a sentence in Honduras for illegal possession of firearms before being transferred to the U.S., the report said.

Central America

Nicaraguan Naval Force seizes cocaine on Pacific Coast, suspects escape

The Nicaraguan Army’s Naval Force reported on Tuesday the seizure of two bundles containing 80 packages of cocaine along the Pacific coast, although none of the four suspects were apprehended.

The illicit substance was seized near the Quizalá beach, in the municipality of San Rafael del Sur, Managua department. According to the military report, the four suspects “fled, leaving the drugs behind” after “detecting the presence of Army troops.”

The two “red bundles (…) contained 80 rectangular packages of cocaine,” the Nicaraguan Army stated.

The operation was conducted by the First Naval Troop Battalion “Commander Richard Lugo Kautz,” part of the Naval Force.

Authorities did not provide details on the individuals connected to the drug haul or the weight of the cocaine seized. They confirmed that the drugs were handed over to the relevant authorities for legal proceedings.

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Nicaraguan authorities emphasize that they are implementing a strategy called the ‘Containment Wall,’ aimed at preventing the movement of drugs or drug-related money into populated areas. They maintain “close cooperation” with regional countries as well as the United States, Mexico, and Russia.

Nicaragua is located along a major drug trafficking corridor from South America to North America, where Mexican cartels operate, and the primary consumers are located.