Most of the deaths are due to landslides. The most affected areas are those where mainly indigenous peoples live, who are considered the most vulnerable to natural disasters.
The rainy season in Guatemala has caused 28 deaths since May, most of them victims of landslides, while – according to the Civil Protection – those affected exceed two million.
Ten of the victims died due to landslides in Alta Verapaz (northern) province, where mainly indigenous people live, the Coordination Service for the Reduction of Natural Disasters (CONRED) said in a report.
Among the victims of the landslides were a mother and her six children, as well as three minor siblings, who belonged to indigenous populations.
“The department most affected by the rains was that of Isabel: in the Estor community (s.b.: northeast, on the coast in the Caribbean Sea), we recorded five floods and damage to crops,” said CONRED’s representative, Rodolfo Garcia .
Landslides were also noted in the provinces of Alta Verapaz (north) and Retaluleu (south) in Guatemala, where the capital of the same name is located, according to the report.
According to the representative, 326 people had to be removed from their homes and are being accommodated in inns.
The most affected areas are those where mainly indigenous peoples live, who are considered the most vulnerable to natural disasters.
Almost 60% of Guatemala’s 17 million people live in poverty.
In 2021, the rains killed 35 people, three were reported missing, seventeen were injured and 1.5 million citizens were affected. Almost 12,000 of them had to leave their homes.
The rainy season, from May to November, kills hundreds of people every year in Central America, which is among the most vulnerable regions in the world to climate change.
RES-EMP
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