Guatemala confirms 131 dead, around 300 missing: Survivors sent messages from buried homes

At least 131 people have died and around 300 are reported missing after a landslide in Guatemala flattened hundreds of homes, reports the Telegraph, citing news agency Patria.

According to new data, the death toll has been confirmed at 131, while around 300 people are still listed as missing. As a reminder, heavy rainfall triggered a landslide, and tons of earth, rocks, and trees crashed down on a village 15 kilometres from Guatemala City on Thursday evening, destroying 125 homes and trapping people inside. 

Around 1,800 soldiers, firefighters, and locals are searching for the missing, but some houses are buried up to 15 metres deep, leaving little chance of finding more survivors.

In such cases, the first 72 hours are critical for survival, and that time has passed, so with each passing hour, the chances of finding more survivors diminish. Desperate families received messages from their relatives trapped in the buried homes but could do little to help.

Local authorities had repeatedly urged residents to evacuate the area, but they refused, saying they had nowhere to go. The last time authorities called on residents to leave the area was in November last year, reports Index.