Deluge on holiday paradise: At least 42 dead after floods in Haiti

Flooded roads, broken cars and houses: Haiti is being hit by severe flooding. © Odelyn Joseph/dpa/picture alliance

After heavy rainfall, masses of water roll over the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. At least 42 people die in floods and landslides in Haiti.

Port-au-Prince – Landslides and floods are devastating Haiti. At the weekend, heavy rainfall occurred on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola and flooding as a result.

Floods and landslides in Haiti: Death toll rises to 42 – Videos show deluge

Meanwhile, the death toll has risen to at least 42, the civil defense authority said on Monday. Another eleven people are missing, 85 are injured. The deluge hit large parts of the country over the weekend. At least 13,633 houses were flooded, according to authorities. Videos show how the water rushes mercilessly over the island. Cars, signs and people are washed away by the masses of water.

The region around the capital Port-au-Prince was hit particularly hard. 19 people died in the nearby coastal city of Léogâne, writes the portal "Juno 7", citing the head of civil defense, Jerry Chandler.

Hurricane season has begun: Storms and rain hit Caribbean region

The hurricane season has just begun, lasting from June to November. The effects of this are likely to be felt as far away as Germany. In the Caribbean, the force of nature rages directly. On Friday, the first tropical cyclone of the season, "Arlene", which was strong enough to get a name, had already formed in the Gulf of Mexico. In Europe, a storm flooded the holiday island of Mallorca.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas and continues to experience severe natural disasters – including devastating earthquakes such as the one in 2010, which killed more than 200,000 people. Deforestation, especially for the production of coal, also makes the state, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, more vulnerable to landslides. (moe/dpa)