TWO villages in Guatemala were buried under a rush of mud and floodwaters yesterday after the side of a volcano gave way, while a strong earthquake rocked neighbouring El Salvador last night.

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 flood waters.

Rescue workers in Guatemala say they have pulled at least 40 bodies from a massive mudslide and found 20 more dead in a swollen river, raising to 246 the number of people killed from five days of pounding rains in Central America and Mexico.