27 dead after landslide, 67 still missing
Mud masses on the slope in Alausí
Image: Reuters
Six days after the landslide in southern Ecuador, people are still missing. The salvage work is proving difficult. Local residents sometimes dig through the mud masses with their bare hands.
Ssix days after a landslide caused by heavy rains in Ecuador the death toll continues to rise. As the authorities of the South American country announced on Saturday (local time), 27 people have been found dead at the scene of the accident in Alausí in southern Ecuador. 67 people are still missing and the search will continue.
On the night of Monday, a huge part of a mountain fell on a residential area on the outskirts of the 45,000-inhabitant city of Alausí in the province of Chimborazo, around 300 kilometers south of Quito. The masses of mud covered more than 160 houses. According to the disaster control authority, a total of 850 people are affected by the accident.
The rescue work was extremely difficult. Local residents and rescue workers searched the rubble with the help of search dogs. They dug partly with their bare hands in the mud masses.
In the region around Alausí has been in force since February due to previous landslides a disaster warning. Since January there has been repeated heavy rain and flooding in Ecuador.
