Time running out for rescue chances

SAN MIGUEL LOS LOTES, Guatemala－Emergency crews pulled more bodies from what remained of villages devastated by the eruption of Guatemala's Volcano of Fire on Wednesday, but time was quickly running out to find survivors as the confirmed death toll rose to 99 with nearly 200 still missing.

Thousands of people displaced by the eruption have sought refuge in shelters, many of them with dead or missing loved ones and facing an uncertain future, unable to return to homes destroyed by the volcano.

Firefighters said the chance of finding anyone alive amid the still-steaming terrain was practically nonexistent 72 hours after Sunday's volcanic explosion. Thick gray ash covering the stricken region was hardened by rainfall, making it even more difficult to dig through the mud, rocks and debris that reached to the rooftops of homes.

The Central American country's disaster and forensic agency Inacif on Wednesday afternoon raised the death toll to at least 99, up from 85.

Guatemala's seismological, volcanic and meteorological institute Insivumeh heightened its warnings after the volcano erupted again on Tuesday, forcing evacuations and sending rescue workers scrambling for cover.

But by Wednesday morning, rescuer workers were back at work with pickaxes, metal rods and flashlights in hand, risking their own lives in search of victims or a miracle survivor. Bulldozers stood by to help.

"We can only work in places where we can stand on the roofs of houses... because the ash is very hot. There are places where you stick the pickax or rod in and we see a lot of smoke coming out and fire and it's impossible to keep digging because we could die," said 25-year-old rescuer Diego Lorenzana.

Elsewhere, rescuers plunged metal rods into the quickly hardening ash that sat atop what was previously a roadway in a desperate search for trapped vehicles, a video by local TV station Televisiete showed.

An elderly man, who was featured in a video shortly after the eruption that showed him in a state of shock, caked from head to toe in ash and mud, died from the severe burns he suffered.

The national disaster management agency said 1.7 million people were affected by the volcanic eruption.

Volunteers were also distributing humanitarian aid, including clean drinking water, to victims.

The 3,763-meter Volcan de Fuego is one of several active volcanoes among 34 in the Central American country. It lies near the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO world heritage site that has survived several major eruptions.

AP-REUTERS-XINHUA