Guatemala mudslide kills at least 23 people

A huge mudslide killed at least 23 people when it flattened shacks and swept away cars in a Guatemalan highland town.

A huge mudslide killed at least 23 people when it flattened shacks and swept away cars in a Guatemalan highland town.

Torrential rain pushed thousands of tonnes of mud and rocks down a hill above the Maya Indian town of San Antonio Senahu, northeast of the capital, on Wednesday night.

Officials said at least 45 people were injured and an unspecified number are unaccounted for. A lack of heavy machinery was hampering rescue efforts.

A rescue worker said the force of the mudslide buried 21 homes and dragged several cars into the town square. "Because of the magnitude of the mudslide, we fear that more people are buried," he said.

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Water, telephone and electricity services were cut to the town, a centre of coffee and cardamom production.

Guatemala is at the height of its rainy season and downpours fell again on the town on Thursday.

Residents of San Antonio Senahu, surrounded by steep hills, were worried the rain could cause further landslides, but authorities said this was unlikely.