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News > Latin America

Death Toll from Avalanche Rises to 24 In The Ecuadorian Capital

  • People walk through the debris left by the avalanche, Quito, Ecuador, Feb. 1, 2022.

    People walk through the debris left by the avalanche, Quito, Ecuador, Feb. 1, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/ @Bigshow00000

Published 2 February 2022
Opinion

Given the obvious failure of the preventive tasks, Mayor Guarderas recognized the need to develop a comprehensive plan to protect the slopes of Pichincha.

On Tuesday, Quito Mayor Santiago Guarderas confirmed that the death of 24 people as a result of an avalanche that devastated infrastructure in neighborhoods in the central west of the Ecuadorian capital.

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The natural disaster also caused 48 injured citizens, 12 missing persons, 38 residences with partial damage, 3 dwellings totally destroyed, and 15 affected vehicles.

So far, 2,734 officials from national and subnational institutions have participated in the tasks of assisting the population in La Gasca and La Comuna, the two neighborhoods most affected by the intense rain that fell on Monday.

In "ground zero", where the flood that came down from the Pichincha volcano hit directly, the rescue and street cleaning work will take at least a week.

This disaster occurred after some 20,000 cubic meters of rainwater exceeded the retention capacity of a reservoir built on the mountain to capture some 4,500 cubic meters of water.

Given the obvious failure of the preventive tasks, Mayor Guarderas recognized the need to develop a comprehensive plan to protect the slopes of Pichincha, which would include reforestation actions to reduce the risk of similar events in the future.

The avalanche of water, mud, stones, and debris destroyed everything in its path while descending from the Pichincha mountain. When it reached La Comuna neighborhood, the avalanche hit a sports field where several citizens were concentrated. It also went down the streets of La Gasca neighborhood, where it even dragged vehicles that were parked.

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