UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations made an emergency appeal for nearly $40 million to aid tens of thousands of Nicaraguans after Hurricane Felix tore into their country last week.

Although insured losses from Felix have been put as low as $200m, Felix's 160 mph (260 kph) winds and mammoth waves hit the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua and Honduras, killing at least 130 people and battering villages.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs called for $22.9m for immediate relief for more than 160,000 people and $16.4m for assistance over the next six months.

The aid will include food, shelter, medicine, water, sanitation, education and communications.

The office said that worldwide it had launched a record 11 so-called "flash" appeals so far this year, all related to climate disasters except for last month's earthquake in Peru.