U.N. says 10 dead in Panama floods

PANAMA CITY, Panama, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The United Nations said Tuesday at least 10 people have died and nearly 24,000 others are affected by floods and heavy rains in Panama.

U.N. officials in New York said the international organization's aid agencies are stepping up efforts to help the flood victims in the Central American country. Food, water and blankets are the priority needs, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement.

Weather forecasts predict heavy rains are expected to continue in Panama at least until Thursday.

The U.N. Population Fund has sent 22,000 family hygiene kits and the U.N. Children's Fund is providing water jugs, water tanks and water purification talks. The U.N. Development Program and the humanitarian affairs office are also providing cash to help with relief items and needs assessments.

The United Nations said the flooding was primarily along Panama's Caribbean coast with the provinces of Bocas del Toro and Colon hit hard. But a state of emergency also was declared in Chiriqui province on the Pacific coast, and at the opposite end of the country, Darien province was on high alert as local rivers approached critical levels.

About 200 homes have been entirely destroyed and almost 1,200 others were badly damaged, while numerous roads and bridges have been rendered unusable, the United Nations said.