QUITO, Ecuador — At least 16 people were killed and 16 others injured when a massive landslide buried dozens of homes in an Andean community in central Ecuador, the country’s emergency response agency reported Monday.
Ecuador’s Risk Management Secretariat said seven people remain missing hours after the landslide Sunday in Alausí, about 137 miles (220 kilometers) south of the capital, Quito. The agency estimated that 500 people and 163 homes were affected by the disaster, which also destroyed a portion of the Pan-American Highway.
The governor of Chimborazo, Ivan Vinueza, told The Associated Press that some of the injured have been taken to area hospitals. He added that residents and rescuers have been ordered to evacuate the area due to the imminent risk of new landslides.
Area residents told local media they heard tremors on the mountain before the landslide, which is estimated to be about 150 meters (490 feet) wide.
Firefighters from half a dozen cities were dispatched to the area to help.
