According to the paramedic services, the rainy season in Guatemala has resulted in at least 28 fatalities since last May, the majority of whom were landslide victims.
Landslides in the indigenous Alta Verapaz region led to the deaths of 10, including a woman, her six children, and three juveniles, according to a report released on Saturday by the Coordination Agency for Disaster Reduction (CONRED).
According to the report, landslides were recorded in the administrative region of Guatemala, which is home to the capital, as well as in Alta Verapaz (in the north) and Ritalulio (in the south), according to a statement from the authority’s spokesman, Rodolfo Garcia. Izabal is the administrative region most affected by the rain.
The most impacted areas are those mostly populated by the indigenous population, who are more susceptible to natural calamities, and 326 people have been evacuated.
Of Guatemala’s 17 million people, almost 60 percent are considered poor.
According to reports, the rains in 2021 caused 35 fatalities, 3 missing persons cases, 17 injuries, and affected 1. 5 million people. There were around 12,000 evacuations.
In Central America, one of the areas most impacted by climate change, the rainy season runs from May to November, and during this time, natural disasters brought on by precipitation and winds kill hundreds of people every year.
Guatemala has experienced material losses since the beginning of last June, with the most recent being the deaths of at least 15 people.
The Civil Protection Foundation released a statement detailing the damage, which included 930 residences, eight educational facilities, more than 80 roads, and seven bridges, three of which entirely collapsed.
The rains in 2021 affected approximately 1.5 million people, resulting in 35 fatalities, 17 injuries, and three missing.
Guatemala’s rainy season claims dozens of lives.
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