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Landslide kills at least 22 in Guatemala

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-01-05 17:08

MEXICO CITY -- A massive landslide killed at least 22 people in northern Guatemala on Sunday, destroying part of a road still under construction, local emergency authorities said.

The landslide occurred in the district of Alta Verapaz, some 200 km north of Guatemala City. Several people walking along a road nearby were hit by falling stones and mud.

Local radio said about 10 people were still missing and emergency workers were still looking for survivors Sunday night.

Last July, a major landslide occurred in La Union, 220 km northeast of Guatemala City, killing at least 21 people.

Landslide is most likely to occur during rainy season from May to October, when the soil is loosened by heavy rain. But this time, the landslide was caused by a geological fault, said an official from Guatemala's disaster relief commission CONRED.

It is not clear whether the landslide was related to road construction, the official said. Two people were killed in a minor landslide two weeks ago along the same road.