Hunger in Central America skyrockets, UN agency says

FILE PHOTO: Carlos, a 22-months old boy, reaches for a plate with a tortilla with salt and a cooked tomato, at his home, in La Palmilla, Guatemala October 9, 2020. Picture taken October 9, 2020. REUTERS/Josue Decavele/File Photo

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The number of people going hungry in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua has nearly quadrupled in the last two years, the United Nations said on Tuesday, as Central America has been battered by an economic crisis.

New data released by the UN's World Food Program (WFP) showed nearly 8 million people across the four countries are experiencing hunger this year, up from 2.2 million in 2018.