Heavy rain in Cuba lashes Havana, killing two

BBC News

Heavy rain has been battering Cuba since Friday, flooding streets and leaving at least two people dead.

A number of buildings have collapsed in the capital, Havana, authorities say.

A 54-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman are reported to have died as a house crumbled in central Havana.

Up to 200mm (7.8in) of rain fell overnight and the Cuban meteorological service has forecast more heavy rain for Saturday, particularly in the western and central regions.

'Narrow escape'

Yunior Amesa, the nephew of the two victims of the building collapse, told Associated Press news agency: "It was raining very hard and there was a lot of weight [from the water] up there. They went to bed."

Mr Amesa says he narrowly escaped because he had to leave the house to go to work.

Many streets in the capital remain submerged, as the authorities assess the damage to other derelict buildings in the city.

Bad weather also led to the closure of the picturesque Malecon seaside boulevard, lashed by stormy waves, AP reported.

The torrential rain is expected to bring flooding to coastal areas in western Cuba and the central region.