Guatemala Death Toll Rises

Rescue Workers Find 60 More Bodies, At Least 231 Dead In Region

(AP) 
In El Salvador, where the heavy rains have left 65 dead, rescuers also stepped up aid flights and flyovers as the sun emerged from behind the clouds.

Authorities also were on alert for new landslides and flooded rivers similar to those that already had closed or destroyed dozens of highways and bridges. Officials said nearly 54,000 people had been evacuated to 370 shelters throughout the country, while nearly 80 percent of the country's roadways had been affected by the rains.

"The rain stopped, rays of sun have begun to warm the country, but the danger continues," said Salvadoran Red Cross spokesman Carlos Lopez Mendoza. "The ground is saturated and we could have more tragedies."

Among the Salvadorans evacuated were residents of Santa Tecla, outside the capital, San Salvador, where a strong earthquake caused a massive landslide in January 2001.

The Mexican Air Force on Thursday was preparing to deliver 220 tons of food and 33 tons of emergency supplies to El Salvador. Mexican President Vicente Fox said his country acted in response to a personal plea from Salvadoran President Tony Saca.

Fox also said two planes loaded with 40 US tons of aid would fly out Thursday to southern areas of Mexico devastated by the rains.

The United States also offered humanitarian aid to Mexico and Central America, dolling out donations shortly after Mexican troops returned from several weeks of helping U.S. officials clean up after Hurricane Katrina.

"To be united, to be friendly, pays and pays well," Fox said.

On Wednesday, Fox visited the city of Tapachula in the southern state of Chiapas, where flood waters destroyed 50 bridges, swept away homes, engulfed highways, and cut off electricity and telephone service. Officials reported eight deaths throughout the state and 25,000 people were living in 103 shelters. Residents in the area sent repeated pleas for aid via news reporters.

The rain and clouds "have not allowed us to go in with airplanes and helicopters and as a result have limited our capacity to act," Fox said Thursday. Likewise, he said rough seas had prevented two large ships of aid from reaching affected areas.

Late Thursday, he toured Veracruz state, hit by Hurricane Stan earlier this week. Schools remained closed and many residents were still living in shelters as rain continued to pound the region.

Three people were reported to have drowned across the state, including one person who was drunk and fell into a flooded street. In neighboring Oaxaca state, a couple died in a landslide.