Firemen carry a body recovered from under the debris in the village of El Cambray II, in Santa Catarina Pinula municipality, some 15 km east of Guatemala City, on October 3, 2015 after a landslide late Thursday struck the village. (AFP)
The mounting toll from a mudslide that buried a Guatemalan community on October 1 has risen to 264 confirmed dead, authorities said Friday, with several hundred more unaccounted for.
Search and rescue efforts will continue through the weekend, but on Monday officials will meet to decide how much longer to continue the operation, deputy Public Health Minister Israel Lemus said.
Eight days after the disaster, 374 people remain unaccounted for in the town of Santa Catarina Pinula, 15 kilometers (nine miles) east of Guatemala City.
The death toll rose by 16 over Thursday's count as more remains were recovered, officials said.
More than 100 homes were levelled in a section of the town known as Cambray II.