Guatemala storm death toll soars (BBC: 500+; Reuters: 1400 in one village)

[muriel_volestrangler]

At least 508 people are now known to have died in Guatemala alone since Tropical Storm Stan pounded Central America and southern Mexico.

Guatemala's losses, said to include many children, bring the overall death toll to at least 610 with El Salvador apparently hit the second-hardest.

Rescuers are struggling to reach hundreds of people still missing in the mudslides and floods.

Many communities remain cut off and more rain is forecast over the weekend.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4322442.stm

Update:

PANABAJ, Guatemala (Reuters) - Some 1,400 people were killed by a mudslide in the Guatemalan highland village of Panabaj triggered by torrential rains from Hurricane Stan, a fire brigade spokesman said on Saturday.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2005-10-08T172219Z_01_DIT752882_RTRUKOC_0_US-WEATHER-STAN.xml

[expatriot]

1. i realize the sardonic nature of my original comment

is not appropriate to be the first response to this very tragic story, but yet I am going to say it while respecting the human tragedy:


Original Subject: Guatemala is in trouble with the WTO.

They obviously haven't privatized their body recovery and coroner capabilities. If they had, it would have taken nearly a month to count that many bodies as it did in NOLA.

In all seriousness, this is a horrible human tragedy but I am sure the effort the poor nation of Guatemala puts forth to help their citizens has a hundred times the sincerity and competency than our own federal government's leadership to Katrina.

[expatriot]

2. I would actually give Bush a big thumbs up if he had the consideration

to order the USS Baton and USNS Comfort and other ships still in the Gulf to the coast of Guatemala.

[pitohui]

3. it has prob. crossed all our minds

dammit, this just don't make sense, guatemala can count the dead in one village -- 1,400 in one day -- and they are accounting right now to the ppl & letting them know who has been recovered

this is bullshit the way we are being treated on the gulf coast

if a v. poor country like guatemala can do the right thing & recover the dead & give them respectful burial where the hell is the usa?

these peasants w. freaking POLES are doing a better job of recovering their dead & giving them respectful treatment than the usa

this had better not be forgotten

these damn storms are getting out of hand, but the treatment of the dead is under human control, & we are being shown up by people who are digging up the dead through 40 feet of mud with STICKS!!!!

The tragedy set in motion a fierce struggle by Mayan communities to locate the bodies of loved ones in line with ancient traditions that demand proper burial.

Ramon Noj, a 31 year old farmer, spent Friday digging for his niece, 4-year-old Ana Castro.

“We can’t allow her to remain here,” he said in halting Spanish. “No one must be left behind. Everyone should be together in the cemetery.”

Domingo Ramirez, 31, was among a small army of volunteers who grabbed poles, picks or anything else they could get their hands on and joined the search.

[cliss]

4. Answer = we are a 3rd world country.

And that's no offense to 3rd world countries. Many times, they do a much better job of taking care of their citizens.

Pitohui, I'm so glad you're still here with us! I know several people here on the DU were really worried about you (re: Katrina).

Thank goodness you made it.

[pitohui]

5. thanks i evacuated

we've still got a row to hoe but i'm thinking our damage will be less than $10K which is a pimple on the butt of the damage experienced by a lot of ppl we know

in fact, i'm abt fixed up to the point where i believe i'm getting my own evacuee in a day or two :-)

we'll rebuild but dammit the dead should not be forgotten like this