Families mourn victims of Guatemala landslide, hundreds feared dead

Heavy machinery remove dirt from an area affected by a mudslide in Santa Catarina Pinula, on the outskirts of Guatemala City, October 4, 2015. Guatemalan authorities on Sunday said that around 300 people remain missing after a massive landslide on Thursday night claimed at least 87 lives and flattened over a hundred homes. [Photo/Agencies]

Authorities had warned about risks of building homes in El Cambray II, which was founded in 1999. However, like many others in the impoverished Central American country with a history of catastrophic landslides, the neighborhood kept on growing.

In 2005, hundreds of people were killed when torrential rains triggered a landslide that buried the village of Panabaj. Many of the bodies were never recovered.

The question of how to avoid these disasters has reared up just as Guatemala is preparing to elect a new president in a second round run-off on Oct. 25.

The government has been in disarray for months. President Otto Perez was forced to resign and was arrested on corruption charges last month, with his former vice president Alejandro Maldonado stepping in until the election winner takes office.

The relatives of some of those killed in the latest tragedy said they were grateful they were at least been able to bury their loved ones.