SANTA CATARINA PINULA, Guatemala (Reuters) – The collapse of a hillside onto a town on the edge of Guatemala City killed at least 26 people and left hundreds missing yesterday, as rescue crews desperately searched for survivors in homes buried by dirt and sludge.
Loosened by heavy rains, tons of dirt and trees tumbled onto Santa Catarina Pinula in a valley on the southeastern flank of the capital late on Thursday, flattening dozens of flimsy houses when many residents had gone home for the night.
An aerial video broadcast in Guatemalan media showed the tree-lined hillside laid bare above a huge mound of earth, foliage and debris that completely covered part of the town, which hugs the side of a river in a deep ravine.
Scores of rescue workers labored through dusk to recover bodies from the tangle of mangled walls, beds and furniture churned up in the landslide. A Reuters photo showed the face of one person who had apparently been buried alive.
Alejandro Maldonado, head of Guatemalan disaster agency CONRED, told a news conference earlier on Friday that as many as 600 could still be missing after the disaster, which he said hit 125 homes.
Later, Julio Sanchez, a spokesman for fire services said 26 bodies had been recovered so far at the scene.
“I feel like I’ve lost my loved ones because all my neighbours died,” said survivor Melina Hidalgo, 35.
She was washing clothes when there was a loud crash and the lights went out. She found neighbouring houses covered in soil and mud. Felled electricity poles were giving off sparks and crying people searched for children, Hidalgo added.
