PANAMA CITY, Panama – Five people died in flooding and landslides in western Panama provoked by heavy rains, authorities said Monday.
Hundreds fled the province of Chiriqui and thousands were cut off by washed out roads in Bocas del Toro. The provinces are located along Panama's northern coast.
Civil protection official Armando Palacios said victims in Chirique included a child and three adults killed in an mudslide. He said 600 people were evacuated in the province after two rivers overflowed their banks.
Another person died in Bocas del Toro, Vice President Ruben Arosemena told journalists.
In neighboring Costa Rica, more than 3,000 people were forced from their homes by flooding.
Forecasts call for rains through Wednesday.
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