The death toll from the landslide in the Ecuadorian city of Alausí rose to 39 on Friday after rescue teams recovered another body, the prosecutor’s office said.
About 50 people remain missing in the more than 24 hectares covered by the massive landslide that occurred on the night of March 26.
Of the more than 1,000 people who were forced to leave their homes due to the risk of another landslide, 28 are still housed in one of the four temporary shelters that have been created in the municipality.
Most of them are still temporarily staying with relatives and friends in different parts of the country, because it is currently impossible to return home.
An estimated 57 homes were buried and destroyed by the avalanche, while another 163 were damaged.
More than 100 firefighters, 120 military personnel and 80 police officers are involved in the rescue efforts.
So far, about 16,700 cubic meters of material has been removed from the affected area.
Since the beginning of this week, the Ecuadorian authorities have raised the alert level from yellow to orange due to the increasing risk of another avalanche.
Source: DN
