The avalanche occurred on Sunday night in Alausí, in the province of Chimborazo, some 300 km south of Quito, and left at least 16 injured, around 500 homeless and dozens of houses buried by mud, according to the bulletin. provided by the authorities.
At the moment, rescuers are looking for seven people whose whereabouts are unknown.
“We stayed on the street, nine of my family are dead, they are buried,” said Luis Gonzales, a resident of the area.
The first response teams indicated that Gonzales is looking for his sister without much hope, since they announced that everything is covered by rubble.
For his part, the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, indicated on Twitter that fire teams from neighboring towns have been traveling since dawn to provide care to the affected citizens.
“The government is fully active, focused on the Alausí tragedy,” said the president in a video posted on the same social network.
Images broadcast in local media showed dozens of rescuers and people in civilian clothes trying to remove debris with the help of flashlights in the middle of the night.
In daylight, you could see an immense mud stain that stretched out in the middle of the mountains that surround Alausí, where some 45,000 people live.
Various institutions have also joined the search for survivors as many families await news.
Courtesy.