Death toll up in central America flooding
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-07 10:31

Rescuers pulled at least 40 more bodies from a muddy landslide in Guatemala Thursday as the death toll from five days of storms in Central America and Mexico jumped to more than 200.

Crews unearth the remains of the villages from the avalanche in Solola, a town near Lake Atitlan, about 60 miles west of the capital, Guatemala City. But the toll could rise amid fears that as many as 150 people are still buried at the site.

"We took out 40 to 45 bodies today," said Pedro Mendoza, 25, one of numerous area residents participating in the recovery. "The landslide was Wednesday but because the roads are blocked, no one can get through to help us."

Disaster agency spokesman Benedicto Giron said the Solola governor's office confirmed that at least 40 more bodies were recovered.

Five days of bad weather, exacerbated by Hurricane Stan sweeping ashore on Tuesday, have contributed to the misery in the region.

The recovery of the bodies pushed the death toll in the entire region to 211. The figure includes 14 people killed earlier this week in Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica, and 13 people who died in three Mexican states, 65 in El Salvador with the remainder in Guatemala.

For the first time since the weekend, the weather cleared Thursday and allowed Guatemala President Oscar Berger to fly over devastated areas and evaluate damage.

He declared a state of emergency as rescuers in Solola reported that two other villages had been buried by landslides, including Las Giraldas, 55 miles west of Guatemala City. More than a dozen people there were digging out houses buried when a second hillside collapsed.

In Quetzaltenango, Guatemala's second-most important city about 125 miles west of the capital, floodwaters rose 6 1/2 feet high, destroying hundreds of homes, businesses and public buildings, firefighters said.

More than 24,000 people from 270 communities took refuge in shelters throughout Guatemala, but they were suffering from the cold and a lack of food and water, according to radio reports. Quetzaltenango residents reported similar conditions.

"It was complicated arriving with new shipments of food" because of the bad weather, said Agriculture Minister Alvaro Aguilar. "Today, we are making an effort" to reach the areas by air.

Guatemalan rescue workers also were trying to restore access to 300 roads blocked by fallen trees, flooding and landslides.

In El Salvador, where 65 people were killed, rescuers also stepped up aid flights and flyovers as the sun emerged from behind the clouds.

Officials said nearly 54,000 people had been evacuated to 370 shelters throughout the country, while nearly 80 percent of its roads had been affected by the rains.

"The rain stopped, rays of sun have begun to warm the country, but the danger continues," said Salvadoran Red Cross spokesman Carlos Lopez Mendoza. "The ground is saturated and we could have more tragedies."

Among the Salvadorans evacuated were residents of Santa Tecla, outside the capital of San Salvador, where a strong earthquake caused a massive landslide in 2001. Officials worry the mountain alongside the neighborhood might collapse again with heavy rain or another quake.

Mexico's air force was preparing to deliver 220 tons of food and 33 tons of emergency supplies to El Salvador, said Carlos Montemayor, of Mexico's Social Development Department.

Fox also promised to help his own people, saying that two planes loaded with 40 tons of aid would fly to southern areas of the country devastated by the rains.

On Wednesday, Fox visited the city of Tapachula in the southern state of Chiapas, where floodwaters destroyed bridges, swept away homes, engulfed highways, and cut off electricity and telephone service. Officials reported eight deaths throughout the state. Residents in the area sent repeated pleas for aid via news reporters.

The rain and clouds "have not allowed us to go in with airplanes and helicopters and as a result have limited our capacity to act," Fox said. Likewise, he said rough seas had prevented two large ships of aid from reaching affected areas.

Fox was expected later Thursday to tour Veracruz state, hit by Hurricane Stan earlier this week. Schools remained closed and many residents were still living in shelters as rain continued to pound the region.

Three people were reported to have drowned across the state, including one person who was drunk and fell into a flooded street. In neighboring Oaxaca state, a couple died in a landslide.