Rains and landslides in Ecuador: 16 dead, 27 injured and five missing

Ecuador's National Secretariat for Risk Management (SNGR) updated this Tuesday the number of victims of the strong storm that began over the weekend. 16 people died, 27 were injured and five are still missing. 12 of the dead were found in the area Green River Distributed in the remaining four provinces Codobaxi And Chimborazo.

They appeared last Friday 13 out of 24 provinces Heavy rains in the country affected thousands of residents, many of whom lost large parts of their possessions or had to flee their homes. Six hostels Organized by Govt.

The worst part of the rain occurred in the city of Rio Verde Decline In the mountainous area of ​​El Placer, some left behind 38 houses collapsed, vehicles were completely destroyed and many animals died. Further, Three bridges, four public buildings and a health center were damaged.

“Due to the rains recorded in the sector, a large-scale landslide occurred which completely affected the main road and affected the people and machinery working in the sector,” SNGR said.

It is estimated that there were approx 1,295 people have been affectedThe toll could rise as rescuers continue their search efforts.

Meanwhile, in Simborazo, a landslide destroyed houses and swept away a vehicle with four people, one of whom is still missing. However, the local secretariat pointed out that “no clean-up or recovery operations can be carried out” because “rock materials and mud continue to descend”.

Also, over the weekend, snow and hail fell on a volcano in the province, affecting traffic on the road connecting the towns of Riobamba and Kuranda.

However, the storm did not only affect civilians in these areas but also caused damage Blockage on 20 routes -Especially those in the Amazon and Central Andean region 2.10 kilometers Victims-, At least 14 rivers flooded That At least two thermoelectric plants were shut down and changes in heavy crude oil transportation.

He Heavy crude oil pipeline (OCP) on Monday had to halt its operations from its Amazon fields to the Palau export port in the Pacific Ocean — which handles about 200,000 barrels a day, roughly — in a “sustainable” manner. As the company points out in a statement, it is Extent of “Force Majeure”.Because the rain has accelerated the erosion of the Quijos River, putting infrastructure at risk.

The municipality of Benibe has been in a state of emergency since last Friday, while Baños de Agua Santa is in the process of declaring it due to the severity of the situation. Likewise, authorities are closely monitoring six other rivers in three provinces that show a tendency to increase their levels: Tungurahua, Sucumbios and Morona Santiago.

(With information from AFP, AP and EFE)