At least 24 people perished in a landslide in Ecuador’s capital Quito, and 12 others were missing, Mayor Santiago Guarderas said on Tuesday, as rescue teams searched homes and streets covered by mud following the worst deluge in nearly two decades.
The torrential rains on Monday night caused a build-up of water in a gorge near the working-class neighborhoods of La Gasca and La Comuna, sending mud and rocks down on residences and affecting electricity provision.
The country’s disaster management agency said 48 people were injured.
“We saw this immense black river that was dragging along everything, we had to climb the walls to escape,” said resident Alba Cotacachi, who evacuated her two young daughters from their home. “We are looking for the disappeared.”
Footage showed a man struggling to free himself from the muddy waters rushing down a residential street.
Witnesses said the man was swept away as residents screamed for help.