El Salvador ? Heavy rains triggered landslides that killed at least 31 people in El Salvador on Monday, while rising rivers forced the evacuation of dozens of people there and in neighboring Guatemala.

Both countries put their Pacific coasts on alert as a tropical weather front swept over Central America, unleashing downpours and causing principal rivers to overflow.

Mauricio Ferrer, director of El Salvador’s national emergency center, said heavy morning rains triggered flooding in 300 communities, claiming 31 lives. He said officials opened 122 shelters across the country to accommodate the more than 8,500 people who fled their homes.

Salvadoran President Tony Saca declared a nationwide state of emergency and said more than 8,500 people had been forced to evacuate throughout the country, including those in a low-lying neighborhood in the shadow of a hillside in Santa Tecla, just west of the capital, San Salvador.

Dozens of towns in Guatemala were cut off by floods as rescue workers tried to identify the number of people affected. No deaths were reported in Guatemala.