More than 22 inches of rain fell in just 48 hours in parts of northern Honduras on October 29-30 sparking devastating floods which have affected crops causing as yet unquantified damage.

As this story goes live on October 31, it is still raining in Honduras and tropical storm 15 is expected to cross into the country from Nicaragua by November 1.

The levels of rainfall have been higher in the first 48 hours of the storms than those recorded when Hurricane Mitch struck the country in October 1998.

A spokesman at Honduras's embassy in London said that eight provinces had been affected by heavy rains and flooding. 'We have had official information from the ministry of foreign affairs that a lot of crops have been damaged,' he said. 'But until it stops raining, we will not be able to tell the extent of the damage.' Bananas, melons, citrus and pineapples are the leading fresh produce exports from Honduras.

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