The death toll from a massive landslide in northern Guatemala rose to 33 on Monday, the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred) in Guatemala said.

According to information from Guatemala City, 11 more bodies were uncovered by rescue teams, raising the death toll from the previously reported 22 to 33 from the landslide that occurred Sunday near the village of Alta Verapaz.

More than 100 rescuers were working at the site, a stretch of rural road under construction between San Cristobal and Chicaman, near Alta Verapaz.

The accident occurred as more than 50 peasants walked by the road project after work. The death toll could still rise because about 140 people were reported near the site at the time the landslide occurred, rescuers said.

President Alvaro Colom expressed condolence to the families of the victims.

An official commission arrived at the site on Monday to investigate the cause of the landslide.

Landslides most commonly occur from May to October when the soil is loosened by heavy rain.

This time, however, it has to be determined whether the landslide was linked to possible problems with the roadwork or to geological faults.

A Conred official said earlier that the landslide was caused by a geological fault.

A Japanese company named Tokura has been building a highway in the area but suspended its workdays before the accident because of landslide risks.