Earthquake and flooding hit Central America

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.

Residents said at least 50 people were killed in the landslide in Solola, a town close to the popular tourist destination of Lake Atitlan, that remained cut off from the outside world. It was the deadliest of the floods that have killed 250 people in Central America and southern Mexico.

“We’ve been pulling bodies out for two days and we’ve found 50 in an area encompassing 1,075 square feet,” Lucas Ajpus, a former firefighter coordinating rescue efforts, said.

“There’s still a lot to be done because two towns have disappeared completely,” he said.

Ajpus said police and soldiers had been unable to get to the area 60 miles west of the capital, Guatemala City.

“We need food, clothing, medicine and help,” he said.

The mudslide began Wednesday morning, and while most residents were able to evacuate, two villages were buried.

In El Salvador, it was not immediately known if there were damages or injuries from the preliminary-magnitude 5.5 quake, but officials warned people to evacuate areas made vulnerable by five days of heavy rains. The death toll in El Salvador from the rains was 67.