At Least 7 Dead and 22 Injured in Ecuador After a Landslide
A landslide that occurred this Sunday in a tourist region of Ecuador following heavy rains has resulted in seven deaths and 22 injuries, according to the latest report from authorities on Monday, June 17th.
On Sunday, authorities had reported six people dead, an equal number injured, and 30 others missing who were traveling on a bus.
The National Risk Management Secretariat (SNGR) confirmed on Monday, June 17th, that all individuals initially reported missing from the bus had been found and were now “safe.” Among the 22 injured, four are in a “critical” condition, according to the same source.
The disaster took place in the municipalities of Baños de Agua Santa and Cotopaxi, a tourist area in the Tungurahua province (central region) situated at the base of an active volcano.
An “Abnormally Dry” Period
The heavy rainfall has also “considerably” accelerated erosion along a river in the Napo province (eastern region), through which the Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados (OCP), one of the country’s two major oil pipelines transporting oil from the jungle fields to the Pacific coast, passes.
“OCP Ecuador has suspended operations and closed valves as a preventative measure,” the company explained in a statement. This decision was made due to the “potential damage to the pipeline infrastructure.”
The intense rains that hit the Amazon and Andean regions of Ecuador over the weekend have caused devastation in ten of the country’s 24 provinces, with landslides and floods being reported.
The cyclical climatic phenomenon El Niño, particularly powerful this year, has intensified temperature rises in the region. Ecuador experienced an “abnormally dry” period in recent months, according to its climate agency.