People walk on the empty main street of the city of San Jose, as Hurricane Otto approaches in San Jose, Costa Rica November 24, 2016. REUTERS/ Juan Carlos Ulate

SAN JOSE (Reuters) - Hurricane Otto has caused an unknown number of deaths since hitting Central America, Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis said late on Thursday.

Otto slammed into the coast of Central America near the border of Nicaragua and Costa Rica earlier on Thursday, dumping torrential rains on the region and prompting thousands of people to be evacuated.

“I regret to inform (you) ... that there are people dead and missing,” Solis told a news conference, adding it was too early to say how many people had died.