TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Almost 3,000 Hondurans have been evacuated and thousands more isolated by flooding as heavy rains continued along the country's Caribbean coast, emergency officials said on Friday.
The port city of La Ceiba, 115 miles (185 km) north of Tegucigalpa, and dozens of smaller communities, were cut off after bridges were downed by overflowing rivers, presidential adviser Juan Bendeck told Reuters.
Honduras declared a maximum alert for its east coast region, where a low-pressure system has brought heavy rains for more than 48 hours.
Officials were planning to airlift supplies to some communities cut off by flooding, Adan Palacios of the Permanent Emergency Commission (COPECO) said.
"We have some very difficult situations. Various communities are cut off," he said.
Rains and mudslides that began in mid-September have caused at least 35 deaths, flooded out more than 18,000 people from their homes, and damaged roads, bridges and agricultural land.
The impoverished Central American nation was hardest hit by Hurricane Mitch's rampage one year ago, with more than 5,000 dead and billions of dollars in damage.