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Storm Eta kills around 150 people in Guatemala

Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 06 Nov 2020

Storm Eta kills around 150 people in Guatemala

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Guatemala City: Around 150 people are feared to be dead after deadly landslides struck parts of the country following torrential downpour reports said.

The copious rains were triggered by a storm- Eta- which made landfall in Nicaragua as a hurricane on Tuesday.

According to President Alejandro Giammattei, around 100 people were feared dead in Quejá in the central region of Alta Verapaz, BBC reported.

Inclement weather also slowed rescue efforts as many areas remained inundated.

Earlier, authorities confirmed 50 deaths.

"We have a lot of people trapped [whom] we have not been able to reach," the President said.

A state of emergency has been sounded in many areas, the report added.

Landslides also destroyed dozens of houses.

Eta was first marked as a category four hurricane and made landfall in Nicaragua while packing winspeeds of 140mph.

It weakened later as it moved to Honduras and Guatemala.