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By Nelson Renteria
SAN SALVADOR, Nov 8 (Reuters) - At least 91 people died and another 60 or more are missing after floods and mudslides in El Salvador triggered by Hurricane Ida, the government said on Sunday.
Interior Minister Humberto Centeno called it "a tragedy" and said rescue workers were still struggling to reach some of the worst affected areas.
"Up until noon there have been, sadly, 91 deaths in all five (affected) provinces. There are 60 people missing in just the province of San Vicente," Centeno told a news conference.
Water and telephone services were cut off in many parts of the country.
Part of the Chinchontepec volcano in San Vicente province collapsed in the rain and buried homes in the village of Verapaz under thousands of tonnes of mud and rock.
Rescue workers in helicopters and boats tried to reach villagers cut off by mudslides that buried houses in the lakeside town southeast of the capital.
"It was incredible. Nothing like this has ever happened here before today," said Jesus Rodriguez, whose home was swept away by a mudslide after he took his family to a relative's house in a safer district.
Salvadoran officials said approximately 7,000 people were in government emergency shelters.
Heavy rains began falling on El Salvador on Saturday night as the storm moved along the Caribbean coast of Central America.
Ida has regained strength after crossing land and re-entering the Caribbean Sea. It is now a Category 2 hurricane and is poised to enter the Gulf of Mexico, where important oil and gas fields are located.
Officials warned further rains were possible but that the weather should improve by Monday. (Additional reporting by Rene Tobar; writing by Robert Campbell; editing by Eric Beech)
For more humanitarian news and analysis, please visit www.alertnet.org
