TWO  WOMEN  have died and the number of people evacuated to shelters in Chiriqui after the heavy rains brought by  tropical storm Nate has risen to 750.

Roads have been blocked or swept away by landslides and some 300 homes flooded, The storm is now a hurricane and heading for Louisiana.

On Friday, October 6 hundreds of families were transferred to different shelters in the district of Barú.

Francisco Santamaría, regional director of the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC), said that although rains have declined in affected areas, families remain in shelters in the face of the threat of bad weather that still remains on the province.

According to reports from the Joint Task Force, the most affected areas are located in Barú and Alanje, where the floodwaters of the rivers Chiriquí Viejo, as well as the Colorado River, caused significant material losses to about 130 families.

Octavio Espinoza, from the First Lady's office, detailed that a psychosocial report of affected families has been drawn up in conjunction with the Ministry of Social Development to provide support.

José Donderis, director general of SINAPROC, moved to the province where the evacuation work was carried out and said that the search for a second missing person on the Santiago river in the district of Tolé after more heavy rain was continuing.