Black Habits - Thousands of orphans in 'forgotten' Guatemala disaster, says worker

Mudslides triggered by hurricane Stan have created as many as 2,500 orphans in Guatemala, says a Canadian aid worker.

Thousands of homes were destroyed after heavy rains brought mud, trees and rocks crashing onto several villages in the Central American nation on Oct. 5. The official death toll is more than 650. Another 400 are missing. Emergency workers estimate both numbers could rise dramatically. In the town of Panabaj, which was completely buried, it's estimated between 400 and 1,400 people died. Most bodies remain buried under mud. Naomi Bronstein, a Montrealer who runs a children's foundation in Guatemala, says the mudslides created 2,500 orphans. Bronstein says newspapers in the country are lamenting the lack of international attention to the disaster. "Guatemala's headline three days ago was 'We are the forgotten country,'" she said. News coverage of the Central American disaster has been limited, as it came on the heels of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and the massive earthquake in Pakistan and India. Hundreds of families who managed to flee the slide are crammed into churches in a nearby town, where they have been waiting in cramped conditions for nearly two weeks. They're being given vaccinations and safe drinking water to prevent outbreaks of illnesses such as diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A and chicken pox. Authorities are poisoning the stray dogs that are wandering through the mud-covered villages which are dusted with disinfectant powder. "This morning we saw a truck and they probably had about 25 dead and dying dogs," said Bronstein. "Some of the dogs are going after whatever cadavers they've been digging for." Another 130 people in Central America and Mexico died as a result of the storm. Canada has pledged $1 million in emergency aid to Central America.

Note: CBC News Last Updated Mon, 17 Oct 2005 19:37:52 EDT