Mother, daughter missing after car swallowed up by massive sinkhole

A mother and her 15-year-old daughter are missing after their car plunged into a giant sinkhole three days ago, with the search now tragically changed to a recovery effort.

The sinkhole opened suddenly in the main street of Villa Nueva on Saturday after days of rain and landslides. The girl's father was rescued on Sunday and had to have two fingers amputated.

The vehicle was one of two to fall into the sinkhole. Another car, which has now been removed, contained four people who survived the accident.

Rescuers descend into a massive sinkhole that opened up in Villa Nueva.
A car that crashed into the sinkhole with four people inside has been removed, however the search continues for another vehicle containing the missing mother and daughter. Source: AP

Late on Tuesday (local time) in Guatemala City, authorities said they believed they had located their car using geological technology at a depth of about 15 metres.

Mynor Suárez, an engineer who specialises in geology, said they had detected a variation in metals below the surface they believe to be the car. It remained unknown however whether the women were still inside the car.

Guatemalan authorities ordered businesses within 200 metres of the hole to close as dirt and asphalt continued to fall into the pit, sometimes sending vibrations through the surrounding surface.

Ángel Mario González, chief of the volunteer firefighters in charge of the operation, said earlier on Tuesday that they were working manually with shovels at the bottom of the hole trying to avoid further collapse.

But he said they were now just looking to find their bodies.

“At 6pm, 72 hours will have passed since the incident,” he said. “The possibility of finding survivors is nil.”

Rescuers have descended on ladders and with the aid of crane, using metal detectors and a search dog in hopes of finding them.

Husband loses fingers trying to rescue family

Felipe Mejía stood with other relatives about 45 metres from the edge of the sinkhole, hoping for word on the two missing women — his daughter-in-law Olga Emilia Choz, 38, and granddaughter Mishell Mejía Choz, 15.

He said his son Adolfo Mejia, who was riding with his wife and daughter, was released from the hospital Monday after having two fingers amputated that had been injured while trying to rescue his daughter.

Mr Mejia said his son couldn’t bring himself to return to the scene. “He can’t. He says he feels really bad,” the father said.

“It’s already been three days. We don’t want them to stop. We want them alive or dead,” Mr Mejia said. “We are not going to leave until they are found. My family is not complete.”

A rescuer walks down a staircase into a giant hole in a road, caused by the collapse of a drainage system due to heavy rains that hit Guatemala
The search has now changed to a recovery effort, with the victims given 'no chance' of survival, according to firefighters. Source: AP (AFP via Getty Images)

The hole opened Saturday evening on the main thoroughfare of Villa Nueva, southwest of the capital. Video of the scene showed traffic moving along a dark, rain-soaked street when suddenly a vehicle tumbled into the gaping hole.

The Mejia family was on its way home from a local market where they sell clothing. Days of torrential rains in the region have caused landslides and flooding.

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