Hurricane Otto swirls toward Central America, kills 3

Workers cut a tree that killed a boy when it fell during a storm in Panama City on November 22, 2016. Tropical Storm Otto, that is expected to become a full-on hurricane in the Caribbean, was lurching toward Central America on Tuesday, with its rainy fringe already causing three deaths in Panama and prompting coastal evacuations in Costa Rica. In Panama, three people died from a mudslide and a falling tree provoked by the first outer dump of Otto's heavy rains, the head of the National Civil Protection Service, Jose Donderis, told AFP. / AFP PHOTO

Panama City, Nov 23, 2016 (AFP) - Hurricane Otto was forecast to strengthen in the Caribbean as it churned toward Central America Tuesday, causing three deaths in Panama and prompting coastal evacuations in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

The hurricane, which is packing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, is expected to pick up strength and speed as it moves westward, approaching Costa Rica and Nicaragua on Thursday before making landfall, the National Hurricane Center said in a 0300 GMT Wednesday bulletin.