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Hurricane Beta Hits Nicaragua

Hurricane Beta swirled onto Nicaragua`s central Caribbean coast Sunday, ripping off roofs, toppling trees and flooding low-lying neighborhoods before weakening to a tropical storm. Heavy rain in Honduras caused four rivers to overflow and damaged farm crops.

Nicaragua`s army chief, Gen. Omar Halleslevens, told reporters in Managua that Beta had destroyed or damaged some houses, ripped off building roofs, knocked down trees and caused some flooding. He said it also damaged at least one pier. But luckily, "No one was injured, no one was killed, thank God," Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolaos said. "We are prepared from coast to coast."

In Honduras, authorities evacuated more than 7,800 people Sunday from 50 communities north of the Nicaraguan border after four rivers overflowed from four inches of rain brought by Beta. The Honduran government set up shelters at schools and state buildings, while the national soccer league suspended all its games.