Guatemala landslide: 161 people confirmed dead, 300 still unaccounted for

International media report that at least 161 people were killed when a landslide engulfed the small Guatemalan town of Santa Catarina Pinula.

The Guardian adds that some 300 people were still unaccounted for, and that the neighbourhood, which lies at the bottom of a deep ravine, was set so deep that workers are descending 12m through narrow shafts to reach the roofs of homes.

The paper also reporst that search crews have found entire families who died huddled together after they were buried alive beneath the mud.

 “We’ve found entire families,” said Sergio Cabanas, an official at disaster agency Conred.

“We found almost all of them huddled together, which means that they were going to try and evacuate but sadly they didn’t have time.“

“Some died from the impact, some from asphyxiation and some ... from heart attacks,” he added.

Reports suggest that rescue efforts have been hindered by the precarious situation at the site

The Guardian adds that there were two smaller landslides on Monday, and that a nearby river has risen by over 1m, with rescue workers fearing for the stability of the hillside where the landslide began.

Rescue workers say the chances of finding anyone alive under the 120,000 tonnes of earth that buried the area are close to zero, but rescue teams, are using bulldozers and backhoes to search the huge mound of dirt, vowed to keep up the search.