Official reports indicate that 52 people died in Nicaragua after Hurricane Felix struck the country earlier this week, but authorities said search operations for missing persons are continuing and the figure could rise.

On Friday, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said “fifty-two people have been confirmed dead, (but) everything indicates that there are more because many have been reported missing.”

Different sources continue to raise the death toll, some putting the number of dead people at 100, but government officials refrained from confirming any of those reports until rescue operations are completed.

For almost two days crews from the Air Force and Navy are scouting a region off the north-eastern shore for 105 people reported missing. Reports said they disappeared near the border with Honduras in the Miskito Cays archipelago.

So far, 53 people have been rescued in the same area, all belonging to the indigenous communities which refused to evacuate when authorities warned the region will be struck by the fierce storm.

Felix, the second hurricane of the Atlantic season struck Nicaragua’s north-east on Tuesday with the force of a category five storm, maximum sustained wind speed being 270 kilometres an hour.

Most of the indigenous communities were destroyed along with Puerto Cabezas. About 60,000 people were living in the city before Felix unleashed its wrath, most of them being homeless now. According to Civil Defence reports, 8,648 homes were damaged and 7,995 are completely destroyed.

“I want to ask our brothers of the Miskito, Mayangna and all indigenous peoples to have a lot of confidence because we have here a lot of commitment and this government belongs to the poor,” President Ortega said.

The United Nations pledged to offer aid worth 43 million dollars, while the United States embassy in Managua announced aid valued at 403,000 dollars was given to the authorities who will distribute it to the suffering population.

A plane with 8 tonnes of food, medicine and other bare necessities arrived from Venezuela in Puerto Cabezas.