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Guatemala landslide death toll increases to 130

By Tomas Monzon

EL CAMBRAY DOS, Guatemala, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- The death toll from a landslide in the Guatemalan village of El Cambray Dos increased to 130 people with more than 300 still missing, local officials said.

Heavy rains Thursday caused boulders and mud to descend upon homes in the village, which lies at the bottom of a valley.

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The initial death toll from the landslide was 26, but by Sunday evening, the country's Public Ministry increased the number to at least 130.

On Sunday, at least 1,700 workers dug past sheet metal roofs and broken walls to reach villagers trapped in the dirt that now covers most of the village. They recovered approximately 90 bodies of people that were crushed by the landslide and continued to search for hundreds of additional victims.

Workers says that some of the homes reached were filled with water.

The workers followed international protocols which suggest 72 hours of search operations be conducted. That timeframe expired Sunday night but rescue team spokesmen said rescue efforts would continue.

Many villagers ignored a warning to evacuate the area, said Alejandro Maldonado who helms the Guatemalan disaster agency. The village is located about 10 miles east of Guatemala City and is located in a deep valley shadowed by steep hills that made the effect of the landslide worse.

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Maldonado told the BBC a local river which runs at the base of a hill, as well as various illegal sewage discharges, were eroding the hill's support.

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