Tropical storm Olga has passed over the Dominican Republic, increasing the total death toll to 22 people, it has been revealed.
The rare December storm will likely come as sobering news to tourists travelling to hurricane regions, underlining the importance of checking weather reports, even outside of hurricane season.
Some 19 people were killed in the Dominican Republic on Thursday after flash floods tore through parts of Santiago province.
"We knew the damage we were going to cause below. We did not want to, but we had to," Octavio Rodriguez, a member of the committee that decided to open the floodgates, told The Associated Press
Dominican officials estimate that around 35,000 people were forced to flee their homes because of the storm.
Three bridges and around 7,000 houses were either damaged or destroyed, in addition to 76 villages being cut off, reports the country's Emergency Operations Centre.
In October, Hurricane Noel killed around 89 people and caused widespread damage across the country.
Book
hostels and budget hotels worldwide with HostelBookers
