Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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Rain, Mudslides in Latin America Kill 269, Many Missing
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(http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=F4BBF3:3919ACA

Guatemala hardest hit with at least 177 reported deaths Latin American
officials say the death toll from heavy rains and mudslides in Central
America and Mexico in wake of Hurricane Stan has climbed to at least
269.

The storm hit Central America last week, and Mexico's Gulf Coast
Tuesday. Heavy rains continued the rest of the week, and more rain is
forecast.







Rescue workers carry body of  child found dead after mudslide in
Panabaj, south of Guatemala CityGuatemala was the hardest hit with at
least 177 reported deaths. Reuters news agency says local officials
report hundreds of people are missing.

Officials say at least 67 people were killed in El Salvador. Fifteen
deaths are reported in Mexico, and another 10 in Nicaragua.

Thousands of people in the region are in shelters or homeless after
their homes were covered in mud or washed away. Relief efforts across
the region are under way.

In 1998, massive mudslides caused by Hurricane Mitch killed 10,000
people in the same region.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.


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