Torrential rains in El Salvador have led to the deaths of six more people, including two girls and four adults, due to wall collapses and landslides. These incidents bring the total number of deaths to 19. The heavy rains are a result of two weather systems: one along Guatemala’s Pacific coast and another in the Gulf of Mexico that developed into Tropical Storm Alberto.

El Salvador’s Civil Protection authorities have issued a red alert, and the country’s Congress has declared a 15-day state of national emergency. The two girls, aged 5 and 7, died when a wall collapsed on their house. Their parents were rescued and taken to a hospital. Additionally, four people in rural areas near San Salvador died due to wall collapses.

Civil Protection director Luis Alonso Amaya reported over 1,500 incidents, including 19 deaths, 706 fallen trees, and 521 blocked roads. Persistent rains are expected to continue, and there is potential for another tropical depression to form in the southwest Gulf of Mexico. Authorities have prepared 150 shelters for over 6,000 people, with 82 currently active, providing protection to 2,582 people, including 1,212 minors.