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Death toll in Guatemala mudslide rises to 149

Around 300 residents of a town in Santa Catarina Pinula remain unaccounted for

© AP Photo/Moises Castillo

MEXICO CITY, October 6. /TASS/. The death toll in Guatemala mudslide has reached 149 people, the authorities said on Monday.

Around 300 residents of a town in Santa Catarina Pinula remain unaccounted for. Overnight to October 2, the town was buried by tons of mud and stones. The parliament announced the three-day mourning on Monday.

A total of 250 professional rescuers are searching through the debris at the site, as they separated in two groups of 125 people each due to safety concerns. Dozens of units of equipment are also used in the disaster relief. Rescuers have already relocated around 3,200 cubic meters of soil, but they still have to do 40 times more. It was reported that rescuers also found the church located in the center of the town destroyed by a mudslide. According to the authorities, around 40 people could have been at the site when the mudslide began.

An emergency unit from Mexico joined Guatemalan rescuers on Sunday. Severa countries, including Russia, have also announced their readiness to send rescuers and equipment to Guatemala to provide disaster relief.

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