Two dead amid heavy rains in Havana

A 54-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman have been killed after a building caved in amid heavy rains in Havana, Cuba.

An overnight deluge caused multiple collapses in dwellings. Cuba's Meteorological Institute recorded 72 millimetres of precipitation during a single three-hour period in the afternoon in Havana, and accumulations of up to 200 millimetres overnight.

The two victims were killed during their sleep.

Yunior Ameda, the nephew of the victims, said that the building had caved in due to a lot of weight from the water.

"I had just left for work when I heard the building collapsed and caught them both sleeping. Minutes before I left they had gone for bed," he said.

The rain arrived early Friday and fell near constantly throughout the day. Traffic snarled and some cars were stranded, as intersections flooded and streets turned into rushing rivers.

The Cuban meteorological office has forecasted more heavy rain, particularly in the western and central regions.

Rain continued to fall in the capital early Saturday, and the famed seaside Malecon Boulevard remained closed because of high surf that was breaking over the seawall and onto the street.