Guatemala Landslide Death Toll More Than 100; Over 300 Bodies Still Missing

More than 100 people were killed and over 300 are still missing three days after a landslide occurred in a village in Guatemala.

Volunteer fire brigade spokesman Julio Sanchez said a new count revealed at least 131 individuals were "confirmed dead and recovered," with several young children and newborn babies among the deceased, The Telegraph reported.

The village of El Cambray II, located in the municipality of Santa Catarina Pinula, was ravaged by heavy rains on Thursday night. Waterlogged earth and debris rained down on the village, destroying or damaging at least 125 homes, The Telegraph wrote. Officials said a nearby river also made the heavy rain worse.

CNN reported that "a towering hill broke loose suddenly and crashed down" on the village in the night of the tragedy. Since then, surviving residents and rescuers shoveled dirt and even used their hands to search for the hundreds of missing victims.

On Sunday, rescue workers had to postpone their operation when rain resumed, which made work too dangerous to continue before Monday, The Telegraph wrote. But every passing hour brings lower chances of finding more survivors. Only 72 hours within the tragedy is the best hope for rescuing victims in landslides, cave-ins, and earthquakes. That critical window drops at 0400 GMT Monday.

Carlos Ac, 17, went on an errand and found the destruction in the village upon his return, the news outlet reported. His mother and seven siblings are all missing. Alex Lopez, 44, called his ex-wife and daughters when word of the landslide reached him. He said the phone rang but there was no answer. Distressed families also said that they have received text messages from people they believed to still be trapped under the dirt.

Alejandro Lopez, a 45-year-old taxi driver, have recovered the bodies of his two daughters and a grandson. He said he felt lucky that he found his family's remains because others "can't even cry over their dead," NBC News added.

According to The Telegraph, municipal authorities have warned the community to relocate many times, with the most recent warning in November of last year. The village is located about 15 kilometres (10 miles) east of the capital Guatemala City.

NBC News reported that officials also warned about the dangers of building homes in El Cambray II, which was established in 1999. However, the neighborhood grew "like many others in the impoverished Central American country with a history of catastrophic landslides," the news outlet added.

Many residents refused leaving their homes because they have nowhere else to go to, The Telegraph wrote. In 2005, hundreds of people died -- and are still missing -- from a landslide in the village of Panabaj.