SANTA CATARINA PINULA, Guatemala – Rescue workers using shovels and pickaxes recovered more bodies from the rubble of a collapsed hillside on the outskirts of Guatemala City Saturday as officials said the death toll had risen to 56 with another 350 people believed missing.
Julio Sanchez, spokesman for Guatemala’s volunteer firefighters, told a news conference that the death toll will likely continue to rise as emergency crews dig through tons of earth that buried an estimated 125 homes Thursday night. The previous number of confirmed dead had been 30 with up to 600 people believed missing.
“We still have hope of finding people alive if we keep searching,” said emergency services coordinator, Sergio Cabanas.
At the search site, workers with dogs labored without rest, halting only when a long whistle sounded, testing if anyone was still alive under the mud and debris.
“We’re from the rescue unit,” one worker announced. “If there is someone there, please make some noise or yell.”