Death toll from Ecuador landslide rises to 21

BOGOTA, Colombia

The death toll from Monday’s major landslide in Ecuador has increased to 21 and 72 others are still missing, officials said.

At least 37 people were injured due to the landslide triggered by heavy rains in the city of Alausi, in the Ecuadorian Andes mountains on March 27, said the Ecuadorian Secretariat for Risk Management (SNGR) in a statement.

The statement said that 656 people were affected due to the landslide while 170 others lost their houses.

Authorities continue their search and rescue efforts despite the new landslide risk, it added.

Meanwhile, Ecuador’s Transport and Public Works Ministry announced that they are working continuously to reopen the closed roads to traffic.

Local media reports claimed that cracks had formed in the mountains in the region, which triggered the landslide.

The region was hit by a magnitude 6.7 earthquake killing at least 15 people on March 18.