Rescues Continue in Honduras Amid Devastating Post-Iota Floods

Rescues and humanitarian-aid deliveries continued apace across Honduras on Thursday, November 19, after Hurricane Iota pummeled Central America and Colombia earlier in the week, causing widespread and devastating flooding.

Footage released by the Armed Forces of Honduras (FFAA) shows ground crews organizing aid distribution and helicopter crews rescuing people stranded by floods in various parts of the Sula Valley, a northwestern area that includes the communities of San Pedro Sula, Choloma, and Puerto Cortes.

The first piece of footage, released late on Wednesday, shows a helicopter touching down on a narrow slip of land surrounded by floodwaters in the Sula Valley, and taking people on board before taking off again.

Other footage, which was all released on Thursday, shows the rescue of several people whom the FFAA said had climbed a tree to escape flooding in Choloma, as well as footage of a woman holding a child as a rescue helicopter flies them to safety.

Officials said Thursday that at least 16 people had died in Honduras as a result of Hurricane Iota, local media reported. Credit: Armed Forces of Honduras via Storyful