Rescuers work at the site of a landslide in Santa Catarina Pinula municipality, Guatemala department, Guatemala, on Oct. 2, 2015. (Xinhua/Luis Echeverria)
GUATEMALA CITY, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 29 people were killed and 600 missing following a landslide that destroyed about 125 homes on the outskirts of the Guatemalan capital, officials said late Friday.
"We have 29 people confirmed dead and one still not confirmed," said Sergio Cabanas, incident commander of Guatemala's National Disaster Mitigation Coordination (CONRED).
CONRED announced earlier Friday that the number of missing people might reach up to 600, based on estimates of destroyed houses. Local families have estimated that about 20 families, or around 100 people, are missing.
The landslide occurred on Thursday night following heavy rains in the El Cambray II neighborhood of the town of Santa Catarina Pinula, 15 km south of the capital, according to daily newspaper Prensa Libre.
Hundreds of rescue workers dug through sludge and rocks to find survivors. Thirty-six people had been pulled out from the mud and debris and rushed to hospital.
Rescuers carry a woman after a landslide in the Cambray 2 neighborhood in Santa Catarina Pinula township, Guatemala department, Guatemala, on Oct. 2, 2015. (Xinhua/Luis Echeverria)
