The avalanche that hit Quito last Monday has already left 28 dead and 52 injured, one of them seriously, as reported this Sunday by the mayor of the capital of Ecuador, Santiago Guarderasbased on the latest reports.
Rescue agencies are still looking for a 38-year-old woman who is missing and lived in the popular neighborhood of La Comuna, affected by the landslide.
The “total number of deceased people is 28, 52 injured people, 7 hospitalized, 44 who have been discharged and one is still in critical condition,” Guarderas said at a press conference.
As of Tuesday, 24 deaths, 48 wounded and 12 missing had been reported.
Monday, a torrential rain that lasted for 17 hourswith a record 75 liters of water per m2, broke off a hillside and formed the alluvium that in its wake it dragged people and also destroyed homesvehicles and electrical poles.
Mud, stones, debris and cars moved along 3 kilometers of La Gasca avenue, where cleaning tasks continued until this Sunday.
A mountain reservoir that stores rainwater, with a capacity of 4,500 m3, collapsed when receiving a flow almost four times greater, according to Guarderas.
The mayor of Quito added that 555 people, representing 160 families, were affected by the flood that devastated a sports center in which a group of people was playing a volleyball championship.
Facing the disaster on Friday the municipality of Quito declared a state of emergency in the sectorwhich will allow the use of national resources to assist the victims.
Fatal avalanche in Quito. Xinhua photo
Mourning in Ecuador
Ecuador declared three days of mourning starting last Tuesday after the disaster.
The Municipality of Quito asked the inhabitants of the affected sectors to remain on the upper floors of their homes, as a precautionary measure, until the authorities arrive at their homes.
“In relation to the emergency that occurred this afternoon due to the alluvium in the El Tejado ravine sector due to an event of extreme precipitation, it is reported that the Municipality of Quito, its attached entities and the National Police have responded with the entire contingent and they are evaluating the damage and effects in this area,” the official account of the Municipality published on Twitter that day on Monday.
And he added: “Please, the citizens who live in this sector are requested to remain on the upper floors of their houses until the respective evaluation and rescue is carried out.”
For its part, the Prefecture of the Andean province of Pichincha offered machinery and help to the City Council to support the rescue and debris removal work.
The heavy downpour that fell on Monday in the capital coincided with a wave of storms that have affected much of the country, especially some provinces in the Andean highlands and the coastal area.
With information from agencies
DB
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