Dozens missing in deadly Ecuador landslide
- Rescuers searched for victims after a landslide buried homes in Ecuador town
- Heavy rains have destroyed roads, bridges, and other infrastructure across country
A huge landslide swept over an Andean community in central Ecuador, burying dozens of homes, killing at least seven people and sending rescuers on a frantic search for survivors, authorities said on Monday.
Earlier in the day, officials had reported 16 deaths, but President Guillermo Lasso put the confirmed toll at seven as he arrived Monday night at the scene of the disaster in Alauso, about 220km (137 miles) south of the capital, Quito. Officials also raised the number of people reported missing to 62.
Lasso lamented the tragedy and promised people in the town that “we will continue working” on the search effort.
Ecuador’s Risk Management Secretariat said more than 30 people were rescued after the mountainside collapsed around 10pm on Sunday. It said 23 people were injured.
“My mother is buried” under the mud, said Luis Angel Gonzalez, 58, who also lost other family members Sunday. “I am so sad, devastated. There is nothing here, no houses, no anything. We are homeless (and) without family.”
The risk management agency estimated 500 people and 163 homes were affected by the disaster, which also destroyed a portion of the Pan-American Highway.
One stadium was completely buried after the mudslide, while another venue used for sports and music events collapsed.