Guatemala Mudslide Death Toll Rises, Workers Find Bodies 'Huddled Together'

After a small Guatemalan town was buried in mud and rock after torrential rains triggered a massive mudslide, recovery teams are unearthing heartbreaking scenes: whole families buried alive while huddling together.

The number of dead in Santa Catarina Pinula reached 144 on Monday, and at least 300 people were still missing, according to local authorities.

"We've found entire families," said Sergio Cabanas, an official at Guatemalan disaster agency (CONRED). "We found almost all of them huddled together, which means that they were going to try and evacuate but sadly they didn't have time."

"Some died from the impact, some from asphyxiation and some… from heart attacks," he added.

Landslides devoured the neighborhood of El Cambray II, ten miles (16 kilometers) east of Guatemala City. The disaster area is located in a deep ravine, and search crews are having to dig 39 feet (12 meters) down to get at buried houses.

The Guatemalan Red Cross made an appeal on Twitter for dry ice to supply a provisional morgue in the town.

Diggers' efforts have been complicated by the threat of more mud, as two smaller landslides on Monday added to their work. A nearby river has risen by over 3 feet (one meter), endangering the whole area.

#Guatemala: #ElCambray mudslide search slows:131+ dead, 300+ missing; 125 smothered casas. http://t.co/IbXQqsF9C3 pic.twitter.com/w21wS0RZpN

— Hyper Observer (@HyperObserver) October 5, 2015

No survivors have been found at the site, and rescue teams note the chances of finding anyone alive under the 120,000 tons of debris are incredibly slim.

But those involved in rescue operations do not have any intention to stop searching, using mechanical diggers and sniffer dogs.

"Our determination to continue is firm. We're not going to stop until we finish the job. The objective is that nobody is left buried at the site," CONRED head Alejandro Maldonado told journalists.

The country's government, which was rocked by the forced resignation under corruption charges of President Otto Perez in September, announced three days of mourning for the disaster's victims, and called for the relocation of those still living in risky zones.

Please, Praying for a tremendous 'Landslide.. here in my country #Guatemala landslide. major, floadings #rains. pic.twitter.com/xJS5WmtsLt

— benjamin gallegos (@Soulben54) October 5, 2015

More than 130 people have been killed in a massive mudslide in Guatemala. Hundreds more are still missing. https://t.co/9e5wGKC9Xo

— AJ+ (@ajplus) October 5, 2015