Rescuers find more victims after a landslide in Ecuador, raising the death toll to 8

A tractor removes the debris caused by a landslide in El Placer, Ecuador, Monday 17, 2024

Rescue teams and local residents scoured the mud Monday, searching for more victims of a landslide in central Ecuador that claimed at least eight lives.

Heavy rains over the weekend drenched several provinces, with Baños among the hardest hit. On Sunday, a hill partially collapsed, sweeping away houses and vehicles in the community.

Firefighters carry the bodu=y of a person who died in the landslide in El Placer, Ecuador, Monday 17, 2024

Ecuador’s Risk Management office reported that, in addition to the eight confirmed deaths, 11 people remain missing and 22 others were injured. Baños, located about 135 kilometers (84 miles) south of the capital, Quito, is a popular tourist destination known for adventures in the Amazon jungle.

Bodies of victims of the landslide lie in bodybags at El Placer, Ecuador, Monday 17, 2024

“Pain, sadness, resignation for the family,” said Edgar Paredes, who lost his son in the landslide.

Search teams, assisted by some local residents, used heavy machinery and their hands to remove debris. The death toll initially stood at six on Sunday but rose to eight after two more bodies were recovered on Monday.

Coffins prepared for the victims of the landslide in El Placer, Ecuador, Monday 17, 2024

As searchers continued their efforts, some residents tried to salvage furniture from damaged homes. Across Ecuador, storms caused landslides and flooding in at least 13 provinces, destroying bridges and highways, including the main road connecting the highlands to the Amazonian provinces.

The Risk Management office also reported two additional fatalities in separate provinces due to the heavy rains.

Residents and rescue workers wade along a road covered in mud after intense rains triggered a landslide in Banos, Ecuador, Monday 17, 2024