The government in Guatemala has stopped the search for survivors of the deadly volcano eruption.
Right now the death toll stands at 109 with nearly 200 people still unaccounted for, Fox News reported.
Update 12:50 p.m., June 8: New evacuations have been ordered Friday after officials said that volcanic material, water and sediment have flowed through the four canyons area. Now, those living in El Rodeo have been told to leave, despite recently returning to the area, Fox News reported.
Original story: CBS News reported the search suspension is due to toxic gases and hot ash covering the area, making it too dangerous for rescue crews to continue their search of the Escuintla area.
Many families have lost everything but the worst part is searching for those relatives who are unaccounted for.
Despite the danger they face from lava engulfing their area, many are not leaving their homes.
Some are afraid of looters taking what they have left, CBS News reported.
As of Thursday, 12,000 people were under evacuation orders in Esquintla, CBS News reported.
Hugo Lopez lost his home and 46 members of his family are still missing, NBC News reported.
“I don’t know where they are. I looked in the hospitals, the morgue and there are no signs of any of them,” Lopez said through tears. “There’s nothing here. There’s nothing here.”
Another area, the village of San Miguel Los Lotes, is covered in 10 feet of ash. Rescue crews are not hopeful that there are survivors, CBS News reported.
Rain isn’t helping the search and recovery efforts either.
Storms have soaked the area, making the ash turn hard.
"Nobody is going to be able to get them out or say how many are buried here," Efrain Suarez told The Associated Press. He was speaking in what was left of the village of San Miguel Los Lotes.
“The bodies are already charred and if heavy machinery comes in they will be torn apart,” Suarez said.
Below the surface of the ash, firefighters say the temperatures could still be as high as between 750 and 1,300 degrees in some places. They poked metal rods into the ground and released smoke trapped below, AP reported.
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