Several roads begin to suffer damage from landslides that have occurred in the first hours of the effects that are beginning to be felt in the country by tropical storm Julia, Some sections were blocked at around 10 p.m. this Sunday, October 9.
The Security and Road Protection Unit (Provial) of the Ministry of Communications explained that one of the affected sections is in the Inter-American Highway, at kilometer 107.5, Chupol village, Chichicastenango, Quiché.
In the place there was a landslide that covers the two lanes that lead to the capital. A vehicle remained partially under the ground from which a 42-year-old man who was identified as Jaime Mendoza was rescued.
Meanwhile, a section on kilometer 262 of the CA-13 highway that leads from Izabal to Petén collapsed due to intense rains and there is no passage in any direction. Provial called on the population to take extreme precautions.
Likewise, at kilometer 246 of the route to the Atlantic there is no passage for light vehicles in both directions and only freight vehicles can transit.
Other departmental and municipal highways also present problems, in Quiché and Huehuetenango, among other departments.
The Ministry of Communications through the executing unit of Road Conservation (Covial) and the General Directorate of Roads have cleared the passage with machinery in several sections that presented small and medium obstructions.
Also read: 66 thousand affected by tropical storm Julia in the country; classes are suspended
In a press conference, the head of the portfolio, Javier Maldonado, said that there is no exact amount of resources that will be spent by Julia’s step, since the calculations can be done until an event has occurred.
At the moment, three damaged bridges are registered in Izabal, as well as three affected highways, one in this department and two more in Huehuetenango.
President Alexander Giammattei indicated that if necessary, a state of calamity which would allow resources to be spent with greater agility to attend to emergencies; however, the impact, so far, is not worth it.
