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| Caribbean hit by tropical storm | Caribbean hit by tropical storm |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| Tropical storm Olga, a rare December cyclone, has caused major floods and landslides in the Caribbean, killing at least 13 people, officials say. | |
| Hardest-hit was the Dominican Republic, where 10 people died and thousands had to flee their homes. Two deaths were reported in Haiti, one in Puerto Rico. | |
| The storm slammed into the region on Tuesday - 10 days after the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season. | The storm slammed into the region on Tuesday - 10 days after the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season. |
| Olga is now expected to weaken into a tropical depression as it moves west. | Olga is now expected to weaken into a tropical depression as it moves west. |
| At 1500 GMT on Wednesday it was centred about 120km (75 miles) south of Guantanamo, Cuba, forecasters at the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said. | At 1500 GMT on Wednesday it was centred about 120km (75 miles) south of Guantanamo, Cuba, forecasters at the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said. |
| 'Catastrophe' | 'Catastrophe' |
| In the Dominican Republic, at least 10 people were killed and a number were still missing after the Yaque River burst its banks near the northern city of Santiago, officials said. | |
| At least 5,000 local residents were earlier forced to leave their homes. | At least 5,000 local residents were earlier forced to leave their homes. |
| Heavy rains also forced the authorities to release water from a near-capacity dam in the already swollen river, the Associated Press news agency reported. | Heavy rains also forced the authorities to release water from a near-capacity dam in the already swollen river, the Associated Press news agency reported. |
| Some local residents later told a local radio station that they had not been warned of the water release, and officials acknowledged that this might have caused some of the deaths, AP said. | Some local residents later told a local radio station that they had not been warned of the water release, and officials acknowledged that this might have caused some of the deaths, AP said. |
| "We have an emergency situation. It's a catastrophe," provincial Governor Jose Izquierdo said. | "We have an emergency situation. It's a catastrophe," provincial Governor Jose Izquierdo said. |
| In Puerto Rico, one man was killed by a rain-triggered landslide, officials said. | In Puerto Rico, one man was killed by a rain-triggered landslide, officials said. |
| The storm also left tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans without power or water. | The storm also left tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans without power or water. |
| Serious damage was reported in Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Two people were reported to have died there. | |
| The storm spared south-western areas of the Dominican Republic hit by Tropical Storm Noel six weeks ago, where dozens of people were killed. | The storm spared south-western areas of the Dominican Republic hit by Tropical Storm Noel six weeks ago, where dozens of people were killed. |
| After reaching winds of 60mph (75km/h) at its peak, Olga was weakening as it moved westwards, forecasters said. | After reaching winds of 60mph (75km/h) at its peak, Olga was weakening as it moved westwards, forecasters said. |
| It was only the 10th named storm to develop after the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season since records began in 1851. | It was only the 10th named storm to develop after the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season since records began in 1851. |