29 People killed, 600 missing in Guatemala Landslide

Guatemala City, Oct 3: At least 29 people were killed and 600 missing following a landslide that destroyed about 125 homes on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital, officials said.

“We have 29 people confirmed dead and one still not confirmed,” Xinhua quoted said Sergio Cabanas, incident commander of Guatemala’s National Disaster Mitigation Coordination (CONRED), as saying late Friday.

CONRED announced earlier on Friday that the number of missing people might reach up to 600, based on estimates of destroyed houses.

The landslide occurred on Thursday night following heavy rains in the El Cambray II neighbourhood of the town of Santa Catarina Pinula, 15 km south of the capital, according to newspaper Prensa Libre.

Hundreds of rescue workers dug through sludge and rocks to find survivors. Thirty six people had been pulled out from the mud and debris and rushed to hospital.