Panama flooding kills nine people

At least nine people - seven of them children - have died in flooding in and near the capital of Panama.

The authorities say at least 13 people are still missing after heavy rainfall caused rivers to break their banks.

More than 2,500 inhabitants of Panama City were evacuated; flooding and mudslides damaged more than 600 houses.

President Martin Torrijos declared a state of emergency and announced the creation of a fund to help victims of the disaster.

He said it was too early to decide whether to appeal for international help as the full extent of the damage was not yet apparent.

Many of those killed or made homeless by the floods lived in poor housing close to the banks of the Rio Cabra, authorities said.

Among the dead were three brothers reportedly buried in a mudslide in the crowded San Miguelito district.

President Torrijos, who is due to travel to a UN General Assembly session in New York on Sunday, described the floods as a "human tragedy".