Tropical Storm Otto kills four in Panama Published duration 22 November 2016

image copyright EPA image caption A schoolboy was killed in Panama when this tree was blown onto a car driven by his mother

At least four people have died in Panama in severe weather caused by the approach of Tropical Storm Otto, officials say.

Two victims died in a mudslide, a girl drowned in a river and a boy died when a tree fell on the car taking him to school. His mother, driving, survived.

The Panamanian education minister has suspended classes until Thursday.

The US National Hurricane Center says Otto is now near hurricane strength and approaching Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Panamanian officials said about 50 homes were destroyed by mudslides. Flights have been delayed.

Also in Panama, one Colombian man is missing after having been dragged away by a river swollen by heavy rainfall.

A further day of heavy rain is forecast in Panama with gusts of up to 50 mph (80km/h).

The governments of Nicaragua and Costa Rica have issued a hurricane watch from Costa Rica's southern border to the city of Bluefields in Nicaragua.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts that Otto will make landfall in Costa Rica or Nicaragua on Thursday.

media caption BBC Weather's Ben Rich looks at the potential impacts of tropical storm Otto.

Meteorologists have warned of life-threatening flash floods and mudslides in this area.