When I first saw the pictures, I thought they were photoshopped. Poorly at that. But then I started reading around, and no, this is real. It really happened.

via the Christian Science Monitor

The storm hit on Saturday, just two days after the the Pacaya volcano, about 20 miles south of Guatemala City, erupted, causing the international airport to shut down.

Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom had declared a 15-day calamity, before Tropical Storm Agatha dumped three feet of water in the western part of the country. Officials have said that the ash from the volcano, which again covered the airport Monday, could aggravate flooding as it blocks the nation’s drainage systems.

The Guatemalan government posted photos of the flooding tragedy, including one of a sinkhole apparently the size of an entire street block, that opened in the northern section of Guatemala City. A three-story building was swallowed by the hold. Authorities are investigating the cause. A sinkhole in the same area killed three people in 2007.

I was immediately tempted to make jokes, this seems so unreal that it is comical–but then I read that this sinkhole comes with tragedy. At least 150 people have died already because of the mammoth scale of the storms (that also helped cause this sinkhole).

I hope that all the late night comediennes and bloggers remember that before they start up with the jokes.