Massive sinkhole swallows city building

Photo descripcion:
In the picture you can see a giant sinkhole larger than a street intersection has swallowed a three-storey building and a house in Guatemala.

· Summary:

That is a storm that has killed at least 146 people across Central America.

The first-named storm of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season, Agatha hit Guatemala on Saturday, dumping more than one metre of rain in the mountainous west of the country and in neighbouring El Salvador.

As the sun came out, exhausted rescue workers hauled away stones and tree trunks from crushed houses as they fought to reach wounded people and find the dozens still missing.


Other rescuers walked for several hours along muddy tracks to reach trapped villagers and pull them out of collapsed homes.

At least 123 people died in Guatemala and 59 others are missing, according to the government.

Helicopters ferried tents and medical supplies to remote towns on Guatemala's Pacific coast and the first foreign aid began to flow in on Monday.

More than 94,000 people have been evacuated as the storm buried homes under mud and swept away a highway bridge near Guatemala City.

Central America is vulnerable to heavy rains due to its mountainous terrain, while poor communications in rural areas complicate rescue efforts.