video transcript

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) STORY: The Guatemalan village of San Cristobal Cucho began burying its dead on Friday after a 7.4 earthquake struck the area earlier this week and killed many residents under debris. More than 1,000 people, including the mayor, walked behind pall bears who carried the deceased through the rural village as distraught relatives mourned openly for their lost loved ones. Officials estimate that at least 52 people have been killed and many others are missing. In the close-knit village, many residents turned to God after losing family members. The strong quake, also felt in El Salvador and as far away as Mexico City, struck off Guatemala's Pacific coast, 15 miles (24 km) south of Champerico, Guatemala, and 101 miles (163 km) west-southwest of the capital, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake was the strongest to hit Guatemala since a 7.5 magnitude quake in 1976 claimed more than 20,000 lives.