Thousands ordered to evacuate in Nicaragua and Costa Rica after storm strengthens over the Caribbean

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Costa Rica’s president has declared a state of emergency and thousands have been evacuated from its Caribbean coast as hurricane Otto strengthened and began heading towards land. Government officials said there had been some people along the country's southeast coast who had refused to evacuate, but the officials declined to say how many. Chuck Copeland Wx 🌀 (@NCHurricane_com) The National Hurricane Center 2-Day Graphical #Tropical #Atlantic Outlook: https://t.co/RftG75M6t5 #hurricane pic.twitter.com/EkqkfRTOFT

Costa Rica’s National Emergency Commission said it was evacuating 4,000 people from the area where the storm was expected to hit and where rivers could overflow. Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis announced that nine people had been killed in the area of Bagaces and Upala, a town south of the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border. On Thursday, at the same time as the hurricane struck, a 7.0 earthquake was registered on the other side of the Central American isthmus, 120 kilometers (75 miles) offshore in the Pacific Ocean.
Costa Rica declares a national emergency as Hurricane Otto prepares to make landfall after killing at least three people in Panama.