The death toll from the storm Eta in Central America has soared after the torrential rains had triggered devastating mudslides. According to reports, about 150 houses had been swallowed by mudslides citing preliminary figures.

Eta is one of the fiercest storms to hit Central America in years. The devastating storm on Friday dumped more torrential rain across large parts of Central America. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned that the “catastrophic flooding” in the region would continue.

Rescue operations across Honduras and Guatemala have been slowed as the roads and bridges have been destroyed, forcing authorities to draft in the military and use helicopters and speedboats to rescue people stranded on top of their houses. “This is the worst storm Honduras has seen in decades. The damage will undoubtedly be significant,” said Mark Connolly, UNICEF representative in Honduras, who estimated about 1.5 million children there will be affected by Eta.