At least 1,405 people in Nicaragua have been evacuated due to strong rains that continue to plague the country, a civil defense official said Thursday.

The most affected provinces are Leon and Chinandega in northwestern Nicaragua, and Managua and Esteli in the north, Lieutenant Colonel Jose Benito Perez from Managua Civil Defense told local media.

He said that the rains damaged several houses in Esteli province and cut off roads to San Francisco Libre. The rescue unit had to deploy the air force to evacuate 24 people in the town.

The Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (INETER) said that the rains would continue in the western part of the country.

The center of the rainfall, caused by low pressure, is located south of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in Mexico's Pacific coastal state Oaxaca.