The official death toll in flooding and mudslides this weekend in Guatemala rose to 44, the authorities said Monday, dpa reported.
The National Coordination Agency for Disaster Reduction (Conred) said that a further 56 people were injured since Friday, and 16 were missing.
Twenty-three deaths happened in one mudslide late Saturday on the Pan-American Highway near Guatemala City. According to eyewitness reports, numerous others have been buried.
The rain forced rescue teams to suspend their efforts Sunday. They started to remove debris again Monday morning
In rural communities in the municipality of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan, in the province of Solola, mass was held early Monday to remember many of the people killed in the mudslide, who came from the area.
The service was held by a Roman Catholic priest of the Maya Quiche community, who spoke in the Quiche language. The bodies were to be buried later Monday.
According to media reports, many of the victims were buried while they tried to help those who had been trapped previously.
Rains, floods and mudslides have affected 43,000 people in different regions of the country, with 10 rivers threatening to overflow. Some 9,000 people were evacuated to emergency accommodation.
The heavy rains caused flooding in neighbouring Central American countries and southern Mexico, killing dozens of people over the last few days. Forty people had been reported dead in Nicaragua by the weekend and 20 dead in Honduras.
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