Landslide Kills 8 Ecuadorians in Tunguragua
Stones and mud block a road in Tungurahua, June 17, 2024. Photo: X/ @ECUADORCHEQUEA
June 17, 2024 Hour: 9:51 am
During the weekend, intense rains caused rivers to overflow in Andean and Amazonian provinces.
On Sunday, Ecuadorian National Risk Management Secretariat informed that at least eight people were killed and three others injured Sunday in a landslide on a major road in central Tungurahua province.
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The landslide led to the closing of the roadway in the resort city of Banos de Agua Santa, and damaged houses in the area. About 30 people remain missing.
“We are coordinating and deploying more machinery to help with the relief effort,” said Transportation Minister Roberto Luque, who added that operations at three hydroelectric plants had also been disrupted by the heavy rains.
The effects of the storms recorded over the weekend have also affected other Andean and Amazonian territories. In the province of Chimborazo, for example, authorities reported the overflowing of the Puela River and the collapse of a bridge in Palitahua.
The Chimbo River’s overflowing caused the evacuation of 55 tourists in the Guso sector. At the Chimborazo volcano, snow and hail were recorded, affecting the road that connects the cities of Riobamba and Guaranda.
In the province of Morona Santiago, the flooding of the Tutanangoza River undermined the foundations of a bridge. The same thing happened in the San Luis del Upano region, where the Upano River increased its flow and undermined the foundations of another bridge. The intense rains also caused rivers to overflow in Morona Santiago, Pastaza and Napo, three provinces located in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
In the province of Pichincha, authorities reported the overflowing of the Pisque River in Guayllabamba and landslides in Chillogallo and on the Pifo-Papallacta highway. Near the city of Cayambe, the overflow of the Guachalá River destroyed road infrastructure and a tourist area.
Sources: Xinhua – EFE
teleSUR/ JF
