A landslide on Monday in Quito caused by the most intense rains in the last two decades, left at least 11 dead and 32 injured after destroying a sports field, authorities said.
“So far there are 11 dead, 15 injured and we have eight collapsed structures,” said the mayor of the Ecuadorian capital, Santiago Guarderas.
However, the municipality later specified in a statement that “32 were also injured” and that affected families were placed in eight shelters.
Accompanied by authorities such as Ecuadorian Vice President Alfredo Borrero, Guarderas explained in a virtual press conference that the torrential downpour exceeded the capacity of a water collection structure located on a hillside and led to a current that “hit against a court” in which Several people were practicing sports.
The Integrated Security Service ECU911 initially reported a balance of “15 injured and 6 deceased”, according to the command post activated in the face of the emergency.
The alluvium, which originated on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, affected the La Gasca sector, on the northwestern side of the Ecuadorian capital, which has been enduring heavy downpours.
Currents of water, mud and stones descended the steep La Gasca avenue, trapping vehicles and flooding houses and streets, according to images released to the press by ECU911.
record rain
Guarderas specified that the rain on Saturday was 3.5 liters per m2 and that of this Monday was 75 liters per m2, when two liters per m2 were forecast.
It is “a record figure, which we had not had since 2003,” he added.
The emergency area also suffered the interruption of the electrical service due to the fall of poles.
The National Risk Management Service reported in turn that the Ministry of Health “attends and transports the injured in 25 ambulances to different health houses,” while the municipality of Quito “mobilizes machinery for road cleaning.”
Some 60 soldiers were also mobilized to support search and rescue work by firefighters and police, who at night removed debris accumulated after the flood.
Due to the effects of the current rainy season in Ecuador, which since last October has hit 22 of the 24 provinces, 18 deaths and 24 injuries were recorded as of Sunday, as well as almost 2,800 affected and some 200 homeless, according to the National Service. Risk Management.
The effects reach highways, agricultural areas, homes and health and education centers.
