Show p p World Sunaav cer-te’-- 1 1998 Caribbean storm death toll swells to nearly 400 Hurricane Mitch now tropical depression Continues heavy rain £3 status but continued to dump heavy rain on the region One hundred and thirty-on- e people were reported killed in Tegucigalpa after fioodwaters rose to the third floor of some The Associated Press TEGUCIGALPA Honduras Jhe confirmed death toll from tr ofte of the strongest hurricanes to KiAhe Caribbean rose Saturday &1392 with deadly mudslides StiU wreaking haoc in Honduras acd Nicaragua 'Unconfirmed radio reports -said as many as 4000 people may have been killed in the northwestern Nicaraguan town of o Posoltega But Maj Evenor head of the National Civil Defense System in the region Said authorities were unable to fly Saturday to Posoltega to Check out the reports because of b$td weather About 14000 people live in the town ftien Joaquin Cuadra head of mfNicaraguan army added that thiE Posoltega region near the $5Siduran' border "is one of the plates most effected and we do nbt have access by air or land" ‘Officially Nicaragua reported dead frdm heavy rain and flash flooding there Another 1 5 1 "pepple are listed as missing in Nicaragua the National Civil Defense reported ft Nicaragua has asked the United States to lend it several large helicopters to help deliver aid ajttf assess casualties and damage igemote areas Defense Minister Pedro J Chamorro Barrios saici Saturday Honduras at least 231 peoples have been confirmed dead frbfn former Hurricane Mitch n fltb National Emergency said Saturday ’'El Salvador - where 30 people1 died in flash floods - declared a state of emergency Saturday as did Guatemala where nitfe people died when flood waters swept away their homes Mexico reported one death from Mitch on Monday Mitch - once one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the Caribbean - was downgraded Saturday to tropical depression also- Car-6am- Jil n Com-tjrissio- buildings in the Honduran capital Saturday Army helicopters rescued some flood victims clinging to rooftops here “Superhuman efforts are under wav to aid the flood victims" said Honduran President Carlos Flores Facusse after he traveled to Tegucigalpa's international airport aboard a US military' aircraft Flores Facusse declared the city “a disaster zone" In the Caribbean two US Coast Guard planes continued the search for a tourist schooner with 31 people aboard that hasn't been heard from since Tuesday While tropical storm warnings were discontinued Saturday states of emergency remained in effect in Honduras and Nicaragua With rainfall of 4 inches an hour at the height of the storm downed bridges rampant rivers toppled trees and mudslides isolated hundreds of communities where food water and medicine were in short supply "Almost everything is damaged or destroyed and it will be difficult to recover from such a tragedy" said Col Anael Perez spokesman for Honduras' Permanent Emergency Commission describing the damage in his country' of 6 million C-1- STRUGGLING FROM FLOODS: Above rescue workers try to keep their boat from turning over in La Lima Honduras Heavy rains have caused massive flooding and left thousands homeless At left residents of La Lima crowd on to a small piece of dry land they call "the island" as they wait for the fioodwaters to recede The Associated cress By late Saturday Mitch's winds - once near 180 mph -had dropped to 35 mph and the storm was located about 75 miles south of Santa Rosa de Copan Honduras moving west at 7 mph the US National Hurricane Center reported The Coast Guard reported that two Swiss citizens were rescued from a life raft after their yacht went down Monday in the Caribbean but there was still no sign of the Fantome the 258-foschooner missing since Tuesday 33-fo- ot ot 1 ‘iR&M-iMiBin- s'- lUto i jUfr 1 $1 u fiiEi'- - yroMhMiri n an- - vaSSaii- - tifc?TjVTE t mvkvA rnrriTfu CM iiV —itii I COPY 1 1 7A |