Guatemala rescuers rush to find last volcano survivors

Partial view of a victim of the Fuego Volcano in San Miguel Los Lotes, a village in Escuintla Department, about 35 kilometers southwest of Guatemala City, taken on June 4, 2018, a day after the eruption.  / AFP PHOTO / Johan ORDONEZ

San Miguel Los Lotes, Guatemala – Scores of civil defense and rescue workers scrambled on Monday to try to find any unlikely survivors of the Fuego volcano’s deadly eruption more than a week on.

In San Miguel Los Lotes, a mountain farming village, rescuers rushed to check for any ashes of the almost 200 people still unaccounted for after the still-smoking giant belched flames into the air and covered villages in molten rubble.

Rescue workers who had to call off their efforts overnight tried to put in a few final hours under intense pressure from families desperate to locate loved ones who are feared to have been buried and burned alive.

One rescuer who requested anonymity said the smoking ash and rubble was still 80 degrees Celsius (176 Fahrenheit) at just five centimeters (two inches) below the surface.

“All the human remains we might find just simply crumble to dust in our hands,” he said.

Relatives have refused to give up hope that their missing loved ones will come home.   /kga