In Guatemala City, heavy rains caused a sewage-polluted river to surge, sweeping away six homes in an informal settlement located under a bridge. Among the missing are ten children, and at least 18 people are unaccounted for, according to authorities.
This settlement, where hundreds of indigent people had constructed homes primarily using zinc sheets, had been established along the banks of a tributary of the Las Vacas river, despite a municipal ban. This tributary contained residential wastewater from the city’s sewage system.
Following the heavy rainfall on Sunday, the settlement was inundated with water carrying stones, soil, and human waste, leaving behind only debris. The Conred disaster relief agency has initiated a search and rescue operation for the missing individuals and is assessing the needs of the affected community.
Residents in the area spoke of how the river swept away homes and belongings, and some noted that they had no other place to go. Guatemala faces a significant housing deficit, with many of its 17.7 million residents living in precarious conditions, and the country has a high poverty rate of 59 percent.
