At least 21 dead and 46 injured in Ecuador’s capitol after the worst flooding in the country in 20 years causes deadly landslides
- The Ecuadoran government reported 21 people were killed Monday by flooding in Quito, the nation’s capital
- At least 46 people have been treated for injuries and five residents remained missing as of Tuesday morning
- Monday’s rainfall produced 75 liters per square meter following 3.5 liters on Saturday
- The record storm is the worst registered since 2003, according to Quito mayor Santiago Guarderas
At least 21 people have been confirmed dead and another 46 were injured in the heaviest flooding to hit Ecuador in nearly two decades.
The mayor of Ecuador’s capitol Quito, Santiago Guarderas, tweeted that five people remained missing.
The torrential downpour overwhelmed a hillside water catchment structure on the slopes the La Comuna neighborhood Monday night, sending a kilometer-long deluge through a sports field where volleyball players were practicing as spectators looked on.
It was not immediately known how many of them were among the victims.
Video footage showed two people stuck inside a car as it was swept away in the Quito neighborhood of La Gasca, where all of the fatalities were reported.
Rescue workers carry away the body of a victim of flash flooding triggered by rain that filled up nearby streams and burst their containment mechanism in La Comuna, a neighborhood in the Ecuadoran capital, Quito, on Monday. At least 21 residents have been confirmed dead
Residents and rescue workers search for people inside a car after a rain-weakened hillside collapsed Monday night and brought waves of mud over La Gasca, a neighborhood in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. At least 21 people were killed and 46 were injured, according to authorities. Five residents were still missing as of Tuesday
Army members gather around Tuesday morning as a backhoe digger searched for victims amid mud in La Gasca, a neighborhood in the northern parts of Quito, Ecuador’s capital
Still image from a cellphone video shows two residents trapped inside a car in the Quito neighborhood of La Gasca as flood waters swept it down the street
‘I express my sincere condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the people who died in the La Gasca tragedy,’ Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso tweeted Tuesday. ‘Count on me and the National Government in these difficult times. We stand in solidarity with the community, they have our full support.’
Rescuers helped locals wade through the fast-running currents to safety as the deluge damaged roads, agricultural areas, clinics and schools.
Authorities said three homes were destroyed and residents were transferred to area shelters.
Rescuer Cristian Rivera said many people had to be treated for hypothermia after wading through mud that reached to their knees.
Residents console each other as bodies are recovered after flash flooding triggered by the worst rainfall recorded in Quito in nearly two decades
Authorities and residents walk through a mud covered street in Quito on Tuesday, a day after a flood swept through the La Gasca neighborhood
Authorities said at least three homes were destroyed by Monday night’s flood waters
The Quito municipality has mobilized with heavy machinery to clear roads and fix the failed water catchment system.
Power was lost in the affected parts of the city after electrical poles were brought down by the deluge.
Dozens of soldiers were deployed to assist in search and rescue efforts of the police and fire brigades.
The flood began on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano which overlooks the nation’s capital.
Quito mayor Santiago Guarderas (pictured in the brown jacket) participates in a meeting with first responder agencies Tuesday to assess the damage caused by Monday night’s torrential rainfall that killed 21 people
An army soldier and a search dog resume the search for survivors Tuesday morning following Monday night’s flood in Quito, Ecuador, that killed 21 people and injured 46 others. At least five residents have been confirmed missing
Army members search for survivors on Tuesday morning, a day after a storm drenched Quito, Ecuador, with 75 liters per square meter following 3.5 liters on Saturday
Police personnel try to remove a fallen tree due to Monday night’s mudslide in Quito, Ecuador
Guarderas said Monday’s rainfall brought down 75 liters per square meter following 3.5 liters on Saturday.
This is ‘a record figure, which we have not had since 2003,’ he added.
Heavy rains have hit 22 of Ecuador’s 24 provinces since October, leaving at least 18 dead and 24 injured as of Sunday, according to the National Risk Management Service.
Scientists say climate change is intensifying the risk of heavy rain around the world because a warmer atmosphere holds more water.
The heaviest flooding to hit Ecuador in two decades started on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano which overlooks the capital Quito
Dozens of soldiers were deployed to assist in search and rescue efforts of the police and fire brigades
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