AlHijjah 23, 1433, Nov 8, 2012, SPA -- The death toll in the worst Guatemalan earthquake since 1976 rose Thursday to 52 people, with many of the 22 still reported missing expected to be among the dead, President Otto Perez Molina said. Perez said the powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake that hit Wednesday morning off the Pacific coast affected as many as 1.2 million people as it shook most of the country. He said more than 700 people were in shelters, but most people whose homes were damaged chose to stay with family or friends. "They have no drinking water, no electricity, no communication, and are in danger of experiencing more aftershocks," the president told a news conference. He said there had been 70 aftershocks in the first 24 hours after the earthquake, some as strong as magnitude 4.9, and damaged homes will be among the biggest problems the country will face in the short term.
