Tropical storm Agatha also forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes as it whipped heavy rains across Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Mexico.

In neighbouring El Salvador, floods and landslides accounted for nine deaths, authorities there said.

And in Honduras, emergency management officials reported at least 10 storm-related deaths as Agatha lashed the country, forcing the government to put five of the territory’s 18 departments under a state of emergency. As many as 2,289 people were forced to leave their homes.

Agatha slammed into Guatemala overnight with 65km per hour winds and was soon downgraded to a tropical depression as it dissipated over higher ground, but the damage caused by heavy rains and high winds prompted the government in El Salvador to declare a state of emergency.