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Guatemala landslide leaves dozens dead, massive rescue operation on

Guatemala landslide leaves dozens dead, massive rescue operation on

By :  DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-10-03 05:36 GMT
At least 30 people were dead and several hundred missing on Friday a day after a landslide smashed through a village on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital, officials said.
Last year's rainy season was linked to 29 deaths and damage to more than 9,000 homes.
Eight people had already died in previous weather-related events tied to Guatemala's rainy season, which lasts from May to November, according to government data.
The rescue job is very difficult because of the terrain, it's practically as if it were a mountain, says one of the rescuer.
President Alejandro Maldonado said that several countries, including the United States and Cuba, had offered to help.
The impact of the heavy rain was exacerbated by a nearby river, officials said. Municipal authorities had urged the community several times to relocate, most recently in November last year.
The victims include at least three children. Thirty-four people were pulled out alive from the mud and rubble, while 25 others were injured, CONRAD officials said.
The affected area is about 15 kilometers (10 miles) east of the capital Guatemala City.
Authorities said that about 600 people are missing and they expect the death toll to rise. Their estimate is based on the 125 homes that Thursday's landslide destroyed or damaged after heavy rain.
Families reported receiving text messages from people they believed to still be trapped, more than 24 hours after the landslide struck the village of El Cambray II, in the municipality of Santa Catarina Pinula.
More than 500 rescue workers, police and soldiers, as well as desperate residents, clawed away at the debris with picks and shovels searching for survivors all day.
Guatemala landslide leaves dozens dead, massive rescue operation on

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