Jun 1, 2007, 18:28 GMT
Mexico City/Santo Domingo - Heavy rain in Central America and the Caribbean led to the deaths of at least 12 people by early Friday.
Authorities in the Dominican Republic said that floods had caused the deaths of eight people, while at least 8,000 more had to be evacuated from their homes.
In El Salvador, four people died as a result of landslides caused by heavy rain.
According to meteorologists, rain in the region was caused by the Pacific tropical storm Barbara, currently moving slowly eastward towards Mexico's southern coast. In the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Chiapas authorities warned the population of probable floods and landslides.
Friday marks the beginning of the Atlantic and Pacific hurricane season.
Barbara, currently a storm with wind speeds of 65 kilometres an hour, is set to hit Mexico's mainland on Saturday, according to the estimates of meteorologists.
In Nicaragua only material damage has been reported so far. An airplane carrying medicine from Venezuela missed the runway as it landed on Thursday in Managua, although no one was injured.
Floods in the Dominican Republic were provoked by persistent heavy rain, which led many rivers to overflow.
Hurricanes are particularly dangerous in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, because the heavy rains they bring often trigger landslides and floods. Many homes, particularly in poorer areas, stand on hillsides that are particularly vulnerable.
In the autumn of 2005, several thousand people died in the region as a consequence of the tropical storm Stan.
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