(7 Jun 2018) Rescuers suspended search and recovery efforts on Thursday at villages devastated by the explosion of Guatemala's Volcano of Fire, leaving people with missing loved ones distraught and prompting some to do the risky work themselves with rudimentary tools.
Conred, the national disaster agency, said climatic conditions and still-hot volcanic material was making it dangerous for rescuers and it was also taking into account the fact that 72 hours had passed since Sunday's eruption.
That's the window beyond which officials said earlier it would be extremely unlikely to find any survivors amid the ash, mud and other debris that buried homes up to their rooftops.
"It rained very hard yesterday," said Pablo Castillo, a spokesman for national police. "The soil is unstable."
Troublesome downpours and more volcanic activity had been hindering searches, but when teams have been able to work in the hardest hit areas, the death toll has continued to rise. It was officially still at 99 with nearly 200 more believed to be missing.
Oscar Chavez trekked over a mountain with his father and younger brother to search for his brother Edgar, sister-in-law Sandra and nephew Josue in the hamlet of San Miguel Los Lotes, which was almost entirely wiped out by the volcanic flows. They have not been heard from since the eruption.
"We looked for them in shelters, hospitals, everywhere, but we did not find them," said Chavez, 34, wiping a tear from his eye as the others used sticks and a machete to try to tear down a wall and the metal corrugated roof of a home. "So, better for us to come here."
About 10 police officers saw what the family was doing and came to help, bringing more robust tools.
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