THE death toll from the eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala has risen to 99 as more bodies were found Wednesday, according to Guatemala’s National Forensic Sciences Institute (INACIF).

The remains of 99 people have been sent to morgues, while just 28 have been identified so far, the INACIF said in a report.

“We already have data with names and locations where there are missing persons and that number is 192,” said Sergio Cabanas, head of Guatemala’s disaster management agency.

It has been over 72 hours since Sunday’s volcanic explosion, and firefighters assumed it would be impossible to find anyone alive amid the still-steaming terrain.

Explosions boomed from the 3,763-meter volcano Wednesday, unleashing a new flow of dangerous volcanic material. Emergency workers had to temporarily suspend their search late Tuesday after a new eruption triggered a landslide.

The country’s seismology and volcanology institute warned of new flows descending Wednesday afternoon through canyons on the volcano’s western slope toward the Pantaleon River, carrying boulders and tree trunks.

Experts also warned that heavy rains in the area could provoke avalanches due to the large flows of volcanic mud, which had been hardened by the rainfall, causing a problem for the rescuers trying to get people out and figure out how many are still buried there.

Clouds of smoke poured into the air as rescuers poked metal rods into the ground. It has been estimated that the temperature below the surface reached as high as 400-700 degrees Celsius, which made rescue work more difficult.

(Xinhua)