Flooding death toll: 250
2005-10-07 07:37
Patulul, Guatemala - There was a violent shudder and a roar, and then the side of a volcano gave way, burying two villages under a rush of mud and floodwaters.
Residents said at least 50 people were killed in the landslide in Solola, a town close to the popular tourist destination of Lake Atitlan, that remained cut off from the outside world. It was thought to be the worst single incident in days of flooding that have killed 250 people in southern Mexico and Central America.
"We've been pulling bodies out for two days and we've found 50 in an area encompassing 100-square metres, Lucas Ajpus, a former firefighter co-ordinating rescue efforts, said via cellular phone from Santiago Atitlan, near where the mudslide occurred.
"There's still a lot to be done," he said. "Because two towns have disappeared completely."
2 Villages buried
Ajpus said police and soldiers had been unable to get to the area 100km west of the capital, Guatemala City, and that "we need food, clothing, medicine and help." He said the mudslide began on Wednesday morning, and that while most residents were able to evacuate, two villages were buried.
"You look at these people who have very little and they've lost everything," said 32-year-old Stephanie Jolluck, a businesswoman from Atlanta who has travelled to Guatemala for work since 1999.
Reached by phone in Panajachel, on the banks of Lake Atitlan, Jolluck fought back tears as she said rivers that were "six feet wide turned to 50 feet wide."
"Water is running out, food is running out and looters are coming now," she said.
In Pathulul, creeks had turned into raging rivers, cluttered with rocks, branches and chunks of debris.
Along the country's Pacific coast, a river broke from its banks, creating a new outlet to the sea and killing at least 20 people from a small, seaside village, the navy said.
It was still raining across most of southern Mexico and Central America, bringing the threat of more flooding.
In all, heavy rains sparked floods in more than 200 Guatemalan communities and killed 154 people. Another 31 450 had been forced to flee their homes.
The death toll stood at 65 in neighbouring El Salvador and officials said nearly 54 000 people there had been evacuated.
The 250 people killed in the region included 14 earlier this week in Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica. In Mexico, 17 have died.
Flooding in Mexico was exacerbated by Hurricane Stan, which came ashore along that country's Gulf Coast early on Tuesday.
The United States said it was donating $100 000 in household items to Mexico and would also offer humanitarian aid to Guatemala and other Central American countries. Mexican troops recently returned from several weeks of helping US officials clean up after Hurricane Katrina.
- AP