Officers from the National Emergency Commission are attending to people affected by the emergency caused on Sunday afternoon by a massive mudslide avalanche of trees and rocks which caused damages in Aguas Zarcas town located in San Carlos Canton, Alajuela Province.

Many massive waves of mudslide overflowed the riverbeds causing a flood over the zone and destroying some shops and houses.

Representatives of the Municipality of San Carlos, the Emergency Commission, the Ministry of Public Transport, the Ministry of Public Security, the Red Cross and the Costa Rican Firefighters have been in the area since yesterday to aid people in that community.

The Ministry of Public Transportation ordered the bridge closure over the rivers Aguas Zarcas and Kooper River, where the most lavish excess of mud and debris crossed across.

"The passage through the rivers will remain closed until further notice. Engineers from the National Highway Commission (Conavi) will arrive at the site (on Monday) to determine the damage caused to these bridges," the Ministry of Public Transport said in its statement.

At press time, there have been no reports of fatalities or international tourists being affected by the emergency.

The rescue teams evacuated about 50 people from the communities of Kooper and Aguas Zarcas. They were taken to two shelters that were set up in the La Marina Public School in Palmera District and the Catholic Church in Boca Arenal District.

The first massive landslide was detected on July 15, at the Juan Castro Blanco National Park located in Alajuela Province.

According to Julio Madrigal, a Geologist of the National Emergency Commission, the avalanches in the area are usually caused by local topography. But it was estimated that one was about 40 hectares.

Experts said that the first massive avalanche covered a distance of 15 kilometers from the top mountainous area of the park to the Aguas Zarcas River.

They warn that there is still a possibility that rivers of mud will continue to fall, dragging trees and stones toward the lower areas of the park, which could affect nearby communities.

Authorities called for caution, mainly for the inhabitants of the communities of Concepción, La Palmera, La Loma and Aguas Zarcas, to avoid approaching the rivers and the affected mountainous area. They recommended staying informed about avalanches.

Experts from the Investigation Unit of the National Emergency Commission are in the process of inspecting the zone. Plane overflights are recording damages in the upper part of the mountains for a more accurate data on the area where the avalanche occurred.

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