By Emily Ellis, Editorial Intern at VIVA Travel Guides

[Guatemala] Torrential rains in Guatemala caused the deaths of at least 44 people over the weekend, along with at least 56 injured and 16 reported missing. Mudslides caused by the rain destroyed large sections of the Inter-America Highway on Saturday, burying a bus and knocking several other vehicles off the road.   Destruction since the rains  began has been widespread throughout the nation, demolishing thousands of homes and farmlands and driving nearly 7,000 people into shelters.  Guatemalan president Alvaro Colom declared a national state of emergency on Saturday, and decried Monday to be a day of mourning for those killed in the mudslides. The devastation comes only a few months after heavy rains in May claimed the lives of 150 people.

Travelers are encouraged to stay out of Guatemala until the state of
emergency is lifted. [CNN]