Guatemala: Heavy Rains, Landslide Kill at Least 6

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Facts

• A flash flood and a landslide in Guatemala's capital early Monday caused a river to burst its banks, killing at least six people. Initial reports suggest 15 others, including minors, could be missing.¹
• Waters from the swollen Naranjo River swept away at least six homes in the town of Dios es Fiel, according to Guatemala's National Coordination for Disaster Reduction agency.²
• Guatemala City officials stated that the choking of Naranjo with garbage caused water to pool upstream following the overnight downpour. A sudden declogging of the river then let loose the torrent that set off landslides, washing away houses built along the river's edge.³
• Firefighters and search teams are looking for survivors and a shelter has been set up for those affected by the landslide.¹
• As it has a very steep topography and thick soil, heavy rainfalls make Guatemala susceptible to landslides.⁴
• So far this year, floods and landslides have affected around 2.1M people, killing at least 29, damaging at least 10K houses, and destroying four roads and nine bridges.²

Sources: ¹Dw.com, ²Al Jazeera, ³Associated Press and ⁴U.s. agency for international development.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Le monde.fr. Plastic pollution is choking Guatemala's rivers. The Motagua River, the country's largest watercourse, reportedly carries almost 8.5K tonnes of waste every year. Until the mess is cleaned up and the trash cleared upstream, roaring waters will continue to breach the banks, particularly during the rainy season, leading to such tragedies.
• Narrative B, as provided by Reliefweb. While Guatemala is Central America's largest economy, more than half of its population lives below the poverty line — and often in places prone to natural disasters. To avoid similar tragedies, the government must address the country's housing shortage that leads to the mushrooming of shantytowns.