In El Salvador 91 die in floods caused by hurricane

By Nelson Renteria

SAN SALVADOR (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.