MOUNTROIS, Haiti_A mudslide set off by several hours of heavy rain swept into at least 32 houses and shacks made of tin, concrete and dirt walls early Monday, killing at least one person in this Haitian beach town.

Civil protection chief Marie-Alta Jean-Baptiste said two other people were missing, while residents put the number at four.

Haiti is extremely vulnerable to floods and mudslides because of widespread deforestation and erosion.

The Caribbean country, the Western Hemisphere’s poorest, was pounded by four tropical storms last year, but the 2009 hurricane season has been relatively light so far.

Source: AP Online Regional – Latin America/Caribbean Date: September 07, 2009