SANTA CATARINA PINULA, Guatemala (AP) – Ismael Estrada buried a son and a granddaughter swept away in a mudslide that killed at least 131 people and left as many as 300 missing.
More than 200 people followed the funeral procession for his son, Amilcar, 38, and granddaughter, Maria Jose, 10, whose casket was draped in white with ribbons of white crepe paper. Family members sobbed as city workers in hard hats and orange shirts used scaffolding to hoist her casket to one of the higher crypts that were opened up rapidly to make room for the scores of dead from the mudslide on the outskirts of Guatemala City. “Goodbye my beautiful!” one woman cried from the crowd.
But for the 59-year-old carpenter-painter, the funeral Sunday morning was only the beginning. As soon as it ended, he headed back to the morgue to keep searching. He was still missing 19 family members, including all 14 of his grandchildren, ages 1 to 15.
“It’s hard. I can’t believe it,” said Estrada, who maintained the calm demeanor of a man in shock.
He had given up hope of finding any of them alive.