{
  "id": 7890971,
  "title": "Dead animals, barren fields and hunger as strongest‑in‑decades El Nino chokes Central America",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/dead-animals-barren-fields-and-hunger-as-strongest-in-decades-el-nino",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-16T23:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/09/17/dead-animals-barren-fields-and-hunger-as-strongestindecades-el-nino-chokes-central-america/235421"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The most intense El Nino in four decades is causing widespread devastation across Central America, with animals dying, crops failing, and people struggling to find enough to eat. In southern Honduras, Lidia Ochoa and other residents have seen their fields turn barren and livestock carcasses rotting in the heat. 80% of small-scale producers in the region are poor, and many are cutting back on their own food intake. Governments have declared national emergencies, but residents accuse officials of neglecting those most affected. The drought has also driven up food prices, leaving people with little choice but to buy corn at 50% higher prices than usual. Indigenous leader Elvira Pasa warns that child malnutrition problems could worsen due to the crisis. Across the region, 16 million people could face food shortages as the El Nino phenomenon peaks at the end of the year, though the effects are expected to persist into 2027.",
  "summary": "SAN LORENZO (Honduras), Sept 17 — Animals are dropping dead amid the worst drought in living memory for many Centr...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}