GUATEMALA LANDSLIDE DEATH TOLL RISES TO 186

Guatemala landslide death toll rises to 186

By Marilia Brocchetto, CNN

Updated 0617 GMT (1317 HKT) October 7, 2015
guatemala landslide quinones pkg_00004605


Hundreds feared missing after Guatemala landslide 01:50
Story highlights

The death toll rises to 186, according to Guatemala's government
Many more are still missing, the public ministry said
The side of a hill crashed down on a village, engulfing homes

(CNN)The death toll from a massive landslide that covered much of a small village in Guatemala continues to rise.

By Tuesday night, rescuers had recovered the bodies of 186 people in El Cambray, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of Guatemala City, Guatemala's public ministry tweeted.

Many more people are still missing.

Heavy rains triggered the mudslide in El Cambray on Thursday evening. The side of a towering hill broke loose suddenly and crashed down on the village.
Hundreds feared missing in Guatemala landslide

Hundreds feared missing in Guatemala landslide 01:50

Since then, residents and rescuers have shoveled and even burrowed with their hands in search of the hundreds of victims the public ministry estimates were inside the dozens of homes that were instantly engulfed by the landslide.

On Tuesday, the Red Cross asked for donations of dry ice for its makeshift morgue, where the bodies kept coming.

CNN's Ben Brumfield, Richard Beltran, Greg Botelho and Nelson Quinones contributed to this report.