Argentina aids C. American flood victims

Argentina is preparing emergency humanitarian aid to help hundreds of thousands of homeless victims in flood-stricken Central America, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. The aid will be shipped to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, the four countries worst hit by two weeks of intense non-stop torrential rains, which killed at least 140 people and affected more than 2 million others. The ministry said it will send 10 tents, enough water purification tablets to produce 8 million liters of drinking water, and 1,000 blankets to El Salvador. A team of volunteer experts from Argentina's specialized humanitarian team known as the "White Helmets" will be deployed to assess the damage caused by the massive flood, the needs and restoration of power supplies, and the management of the evacuation camps. Argentina also will send water purification tablets, blankets and tents to Nicaragua and Honduras.