TERRA.WIRE
Thousands evacuated amid Costa Rica floods
SAN JOSE (AFP) Dec 13, 2003
 More than 2,500 people have been evacuated from Costa Rica's Caribbean zone as four days of persistent rains wiped out bridges and roads and left at least one person dead and another missing, officials said Saturday.

The town of Matina, 163 kilometers (101 miles) east of San Jose, was hardest hit, with many areas cut off by collapsed roads and flooded highways, government emergency operations chief Sigifredo Perez said.

A boy drowned after falling into a drainage ditch on Friday, according to Red Cross officials. Workers for the aid organization discovered the child's body on Saturday, but officials did not release his name or age.

And a 55-year-old man was still missing after falling into Matina's Chirripo River on Thursday.

The government has declared a state of emergency, clearing the way for some five million dollars in disaster aid to be redirected to the hardest-hit areas.

TERRA.WIRE