21 Confirmed Dead In
Guatemala Landslides
Twenty-one people were
confirmed killed Sunday
in landslides triggered
by heavy rains in a
rural community in
eastern Guatemala, local
media reported.
According to information
reaching here from
Guatemala City,
landslides brought down
tons of mud and rocks on
a village near LaUnion
city in Zacapa province,
burying at least 21
people.
Among the dead were 12
from the same family who
were trapped inside
their house by the
landslide, said La Union
Mayor Francisco Salguero.
Rescue teams had not
been able to reach the
accident site till
midday on Sunday,
Salguero told a local
radio station.
Downpours in the
previous weeks have led
to many landslides,
destroying houses,
bridges and highways,
including one leading to
the La Union village, he
said.
Several families have
been evacuated to safe
places including
provisional shelters set
up by the government.
The city of La Union,
which borders Honduras
and is located some 220
km northeast of
Guatemala City, has a
population of 25,000 and
is one of the poorest
areas in the central
American country.
Persistent rains since
June across large
swathes of Guatemala
have caused a 'yellow'
alert in the country,
where 78 people have
died in various
disasters triggered by
heavy rains since the
beginning of the year.
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