Article: Desperate search for survivors

Desperate search for survivors in devastated Guatemala town

Panajab, Guatemala (AFP) - Hundreds of Mayans armed with hoes, picks and shovels tried to find the remains of their loved ones in western Guatemala under tons of mud, pouring rain and the penetrating stench of dead bodies.

Tropical Storm Stan's rains triggered a mudslide that buried Panajab and neighboring Tzanchaj, located 180 kilometers (110 miles) west of the capital, when it slammed Central America this week, leaving 1,400 feared dead in the two small towns.

Through rain, fog, and the threat of new mudslides, the searchers were helped by neighbors and volunteer firefighters.

"I don't believe there are survivors. Already 36 hours have passed. According to estimates we have, 1,400 people were trapped there," Mario Cruz, a firefighters' spokesman, told AFP.

The bodies are likely buried under tons of mud in a four square kilometer (1.5 square mile) area at the foot of the San Lucas volcano, once home to some 70 dwellings, Cruz believes.

"Others may have been swept into the Lake Atitlan, about one kilometer from here," he said. "Bodies might be floating in the lake tomorrow."

Stan slammed the region Tuesday as a hurricane before being downgraded to a tropical storm. It unleashed relentless rains from October 1 in Guatemala, where at least 508 people have been confirmed dead.

Of those, 208 perished in Panabaj and Tzanchaj alone, Guatemalan President Oscar Berger said.

Damian Gonzales, a taxi driver, recalled how the area was covered by the mudslide early Wednesday.

"We were all sleeping," Gonzales said. "I don't think many escaped."

Cruz said the search and rescue effort would last several days.

"We don't have the machines here, because roads collapsed," Cruz said. "It's hard to recover bodies with just a shovel and a pick."

Hundreds of people gathered early Saturday to start digging for bodies. By midday, they had found 71, most of them children.

The bodies were immediately placed in makeshift coffins and put in a communal grave in a nearby cemetery, without religious service.

Many of the workers shot angry looks when a firefighter blew a whistle to ask them to leave the area.

"We blow the whistle when the rain gets bad and fog gets thicker, because we fear another mudslide," Cruz said.

"This is difficult due to the bad weather, we're working in pure mud," he said. "I don't know how many days we'll be doing this."

Scarcity of food, potable water and fuel in the devastated region could cut short the search for bodies. Aid from the Guatemalan government has yet to appear.

At a private beach in Santiago Atitlan, the largest town on the lake, local officials and soldiers loaded food, water and blankets donated by private citizens into motor boats and discussed how best to distribute it to 12 communities at the foot of the volcano.

But most of the donations could stay on the beach due to a shortage of fuel.

"Probably this is the only day we'll be able to deliver the aid from good-hearted Guatemalans, because we're almost out of fuel," one of the sailors said. The nearest place to buy more is 40 kilometers (25 miles) away, he said.

Tags: Guatemala, Stan, Mudslides, Floods, News, Panabaj

Posted by elcanche at October 8, 2005 10:55 PM