Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Environment
Alexandra Valencia

Number of missing in Ecuador landslide falls to six, death toll 24

People, soldiers and rescue workers help with clean-up operations after torrential rains caused a landslide, sending mud and rocks down on residences and affecting electricity provision, in Quito, Ecuador, February 1, 2022. Picture taken February 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Alarcon

The mayor of Ecuador's capital Quito revised the number of people missing after a landslide on Monday night from 12 to 6, although rescue work was still going on, while the death toll stood at 24.

Ecuador's worst rains in nearly two decades overwhelmed a n dam near the working class neighborhoods of La Gasca and La Comuna, sending mud and rocks down on residences and streets.

Mayor Santiago Guarderas told reporters the number of injured had increased to 52 and repair work would begin on dozens of affected homes.

"According to protocol firefighters have to do rescue work for 48 hours, after which they can begin clean-up efforts," Guarderas said.

Ecuador is facing heavy rains in several areas which have caused rivers to overflow and affected hundreds of homes and roads. Rains in Quito on Monday were equivalent to 75 liters per square meter.

Footage obtained by Reuters showed a man struggling to free himself from the muddy waters rushing down a residential street on Monday, before he was swept away.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia, Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb, Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.