At least 16 people have died and another 16 have been injured after a massive landslide buried dozens of houses in an Andean community in central Ecuador, the country’s emergency response agency reported.
Ecuador’s Risk Management Secretariat said Monday that seven people were still missing hours after a rain-triggered landslide hit Alausi, a small town about 317 kilometers (197 miles) south of the capital Quito. Sunday night.
The agency estimated that 500 people and 163 homes were affected by the disaster, which also destroyed a section of the Pan-American Highway.
The governor of Chimborazo, Iván Vinueza, said that some of the injured have been transferred to hospitals in the area. He added that residents and rescuers were ordered to evacuate the area due to the imminent risk of new landslides.
Residents told local media they heard tremors on the mountain before the landslide, which is estimated to be about 150 meters (490 feet) wide.
Firefighters from half a dozen cities were dispatched to the area to help.
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