Another person found dead in giant sinkhole in Guatemala


March 5, 2007, midnight | By Ixchel Montenegro | 17 years, 9 months ago

Sinkhole causes the death of three people; citizens abandon homes


This is not original reporting. All information has been compiled from The Washington Post articles 3rd Body Found in Guatemala Sinkhole and 2 Die in Guatemala City Sinkhole by Juan Carlos Llorca.

Silver Chips Online posts this news summary to provide readers with a forum for discussion. For the Spanish version of the article, please click here.

An unexpected 330 feet deep sinkhole, which occurred last weekend, caused the death of three family members, the destruction of nearly 12 homes and the relocation of about 1,000 residents of the San Antonio, zone 6 neighborhood in Guatemala.

The third body was that of Domingo Soyos, 53, the father of Irma and David Soyos, two teenagers found dead on Friday, February 23. The Soyos family was at home when the incident occurred; unfortunately, their house was among those that fell into the sinkhole.

Maria Rivas, a local resident said she was in her home when the disaster occurred. "I started to hear booming, and I felt the earth shaking, and then I realized that the homes had collapsed" into the sinkhole, Rivas said.

During the day police helped the residents move out of their homes, a decision made as a safety precaution.

Antonio Fuentes, 50, said he plans to abandon the neighborhood, after living there for 15 years. "Last night, a friend had to take my handicapped wife out on a motorcycle," he said. "Now I'm leaving for good, never to come back."

According to Alvaro Rodas, the director of social development for Guatemala City, officials have closed the storm and sewer drains. They are also waiting until the area stabilizes before going into the hole to evaluate it. In the meantime, it is believed that the mouth of the hole will become larger.



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Ixchel Montenegro. Sometimes Ixchel Montenegro's friends call her Eesh. She's short, sweet, and a pretty cool Latina. Ixchel enjoys playing sports (especially fútbol), hanging out with friends and family, dancing, and having a good time. She loves to smile and she's really friendly. She's basically pretty tight. More »

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