MANAGUA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The number of people killed in Nicaragua due to heavy rains and floods now stands at 10, vice president and presidential spokesperson Rosario Murillo said Thursday.

Murillo confirmed that five people died after being swept away by strong river currents. The constant heavy rainfall has led to overflowing rivers and flooding.

Those people died when they attempted to cross the river, Murillo said, despite the fact that the authorities have been warning people not to challenge the forces of the river currents.

"We recommend caution, a lot of caution, when you are in front of rivers and streams, so that we don't have any more deaths," Murillo said.

The National System for the Prevention, Mitigation and Attention of Disasters has issued a red alert, the highest alert for eight departments.

"We will keep the red alert in place because we don't know what is to come, the toughest part of winter is still ahead," Murillo said.

The government also reported partial damages on housing in some departments of the country caused by heavy rains.