Landslide in Ecuador Kills at Least 7, With Dozens Missing

Landslide in Ecuador Kills at Least 7, With Dozens Missing
Rescue work is carried out at the site of a landslide caused by heavy rain that buried dozens of homes in Alausi, Ecuador, on March 27, 2023. Dolores Ochoa/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:

ALAUSI, Ecuador—A huge landslide swept over an Andean community in central Ecuador, burying dozens of homes, killing at least seven people and sending rescuers on a frantic search for survivors, authorities said Monday.

Earlier in the day, officials had reported 16 deaths, but President Guillermo Lasso put the confirmed toll at seven as he arrived Monday night at the scene of the disaster in Alausí, about 137 miles south of the capital, Quito. Officials also raised the number of people reported missing to 62.