MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Over 100 homes were buried under the earth when a hillside collapsed in Santa Catarina Pinula, a suburb located about 9 miles east of the country’s capital Guatemala City, on October 1.
“The city attorney of Santa Catarina Pinula reports that death toll reaches 280,” the ministry said on Twitter.
Guatemala’s authorities are investigating whether the regional administration bears any responsibility for the accident as it might have issued building permits ignoring the risks of constructing housing in the landslide-prone area.