Mudslides in North Leave 25 Dead

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Floodingand landslides caused by heavy rains lastweek in the northern department of Matagalpaand on the Atlantic left 25 dead andsent more than 2,280 people into state-runshelters, according to local press reports.Various mudslides on the deforestedMusún Mountain in Matagalpa, 220 kilometersnorth of Managua, killed morethan two-dozen campesinos – mostly children– and displaced more than 1,000people to area shelters.Meanwhile, river flooding in theindigenous-populated northern Atlanticport town of Prinzapolka, about 90 kilometerssouth of Puerto Cabezas, affectedsome 27 rural Indian communities anddisplaced some 10,000 people to higherground, according to the daily El NuevoDiario.The newspaper’s correspondent in theisolated region of the country reportedthat some people were left stuck in treeswithout food.