GUATEMALA CITY, June 1 (Reuters) - Collapsed roads and highway bridges complicated rescue efforts in Guatemala on Tuesday after Tropical Storm Agatha drenched Central America, burying homes under mud and killing at least 146 people.
Dozens of people were still missing and rescue teams struggled to reach remote rural communities after the storm cut off roads and destroyed up to 18 major road bridges and dozens of smaller footbridges.
"We’re trying to get to the communities but we’re finding that bridges are down and we have to walk, so it is talking so much longer," said firefighter Rony Veliz.
Some 35,000 people remained in emergency shelters three days after Agatha, the first named storm of the 2010 Pacific hurricane season, slammed into western Guatemala, dumping more than 3 feet (1 meter) of rain in places and raising concern over the coffee crop there and in El Salvador.
Guatemalan aid workers relied on six helicopters sent by the United States, as well as private helicopters, to get tents and medical supplies to remote towns on the Pacific coast, but in inland areas villagers were frustrated at the lack of help.
"We’ve gone several days now without aid from the government and we don’t have enough water and food," said a caller to Guatemalan radio from the town of Huehuetenango in the western highlands.
At least 123 people died in Guatemala, and 59 others were missing, according to the government, either crushed in their homes or swept away by swollen rivers. Nine people were killed in El Salvador and 14 in Honduras.
By Tuesday the rain had stopped, but giant sinkholes in the capital, Guatemala City, created death traps on streets, having swallowed entire buildings as they opened up.
Health Minister Ludwin Ovalle said outbreaks of dengue and malaria were also likely in the coming days. "We will see outbreaks because of stagnant water," he said.
Coffee growers worried about the condition of the crop in Guatemala, the region’s biggest producer, and in El Salvador, where the strongest rain fell in the main coffee-growing area.
Some coffee trees are at risk of a destructive fungus in the wake of Agatha but difficult access to farms after the storm has made it hard to assess the damage.
Central America is vulnerable to heavy rains due to its mountainous terrain, and poor communications in rural areas hamper rescue efforts. Last November’s Hurricane Ida killed at least 150 people as it pounded through the region.
Guatemala has warned that flooding from Agatha could be worsened by ash from the Pacaya volcano blocking drains.
Last week’s eruption forced the closure of Guatemala City’s international airport. Ash on the tarmac delayed plans to reopen the airport on Tuesday and President Alvaro Colom said on Monday night that Mexico was still waiting to fly in aid.
