Guatemala Volcano Update: Hundreds Still Missing After Deadly Eruption

A deadly volcano eruption in Guatemala on June 3 killed at least 110 people, but there are still around 200 people missing.

Guatemalan rescue teams resumed a search for bodies Wednesday after suspending their mission for a week, according to the Associated Press. The mission was paused due to volcanic activity and poor weather conditions including heavy rainfall.

The volcano, Volcán de Fuego (Volcano of Fire), decimated towns around it. In addition to the lava and debris that spewed from the volcano, destroying homes in its wake, the volcano also emitted pyroclastic flows.

Volcán de Fuego is a stratovolcano, and the pyroclastic flows it released are a mixture of hot gas and molten rock that moved at a high speed, making them even deadlier. People can be killed by the heat and gasses alone.

When the volcano began erupting on June 3, it lasted for more than 16 hours with two powerful eruptions.

Many families were caught off guard.

"My family was having lunch. They left the plates of food and stopped eating and fled. They took nothing but their clothes on their backs," Pedro Gomez, who lived near the volcano, told ABC News.

Officials have admitted that some of the warnings came too late.

The town of San Miguel Los Lote, which sat in the course of the volcano's flow, was hit especially hard. The United Nations reported that close to half of the more than 400 buildings damaged by the volcano were in this town. Much of the town remains covered in ash.

Volcán de Fuego is a fairly active volcano, constantly emitting tiny eruptions. It already had a notable eruption this year and has had dozens of observed eruptions dating back to the 1500s.

The United Nations reported that the volcano forced 13,000 people to evacuate. The organization's refugee agency is trying to help people who have lost their homes find shelter.

"As soon as volcanic activity subsided and access was permitted, [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] mobilized teams to help with assessing the situation and determining needs, by visiting the collective shelters and communities accommodating people who have been evacuated," said the group's spokesperson, Andrej Mahecic, in a press conference last week. "This includes ensuring access to shelters for people with disabilities, supporting pregnant and lactating women, providing psycho-social support and hygiene kits and creating safe spaces for children and women."