Two people died and more than 8,500 were evacuated Saturday as heavy rain continued in central Cuba, local media reported.

Sancti Spiritus, a province 350 km east of Havana, registered an accumulated rainfall of more than 900 millimeters, a historical record for the region in the month of May.

Up to 6,500 residents from the towns surrounding Cuba's biggest water reservoir Zaza dam were evacuated for fears of flooding and 2,000 others were moved out of flooded areas in Sancti Spiritus and the special municipalities of Trinidad and Yaguajay.

The National Meteorology Institute forecast that heavy rain will continue in central provinces, and might then move westward.