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The death toll from the eruption of Guatemala's Fuego volcano in June has clmbed to 121, the National Coordinator for the Reduction of Disasters (Conred) confirmed Wednesday.
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The death toll rose from 116 following the identification of five new victims: a two-month-old; two toddlers, and two teenagers, the National Institute of Forensic Sciences reports.
Conred Spokesman David de Leon said some of the victims were among remains salvaged from the disaster zone and transferred to a morgue in Escuintla. They had previously been registered under the missing persons list, which numbers as many as 300 citizens.
Fuego's June 3 eruption was one of the biggest in the volcano's history, showering clouds of rocks, ash and toxic gases on the community of San Miguel and forcing more than 2,900 people to flee their homes.
The volcano is located about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of the capital, Guatemala City, near the picturesque colonial town of Antigua, a Unesco world heritage site.
The 3,763-meter (12,346-feet) peak, whose name means 'fire' in Spanish, is almost alwaya active, which is why local residents and authorities failed to take immediate action.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the recent eruptions will have short-, medium- and long-term health effects, said the Ministry of Public Health.
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