A Day That Shook The World: Hurricane Mitch

(AFP/Getty)

On 28 October 1998, Hurricane Mitch - a tropical storm in the south Caribbean - suddenly intensified into one of the worst hurricaines of the century.

The full destructive force of nature was turned first on Honduras and then Nicaragua - laying waste to both nations on an unprecedented scale, killing thousands and setting their development back by decades.

The world reacted with a massive relief effort, sending food aid and supplies, but the rebuilding effort would take a generation to complete.

Watch original British Pathe footage from the Hurricaine, above.