Ecuador landslide kills six, injures 19

A landslide in Ecuador killed at least six people and left 19 others injured, amid a heavy rainstorm that battered parts of Central and South America, according to Ecuadorian authorities on Sunday.
The “large-magnitude” landslide occurred in the centre of the country in the city of Banos de Agua Santa, the Ecuadorean Secretariat for Risk Management said in a report.
Earlier in the day, the agency had reported that 30 more people were missing, but in the afternoon said these people had been located.
Several seaside resorts were closed, along with the main road into the area.
Torrential rains began on Saturday night and carried into Sunday, hampering rescue efforts.
“Weather conditions are not favourable” for clearing the road, warned state emergency agency ECU 911.
Several rivers in the region were on the verge of overflowing, images sent to AFP by local residents showed.
According to the president’s office, heavy rains have also caused damage in other regions, with a total of 48 emergencies recorded nationwide.
Roberto Luque, Ecuador’s minister of public works, said that operations at three hydroelectic plants had also been affected by the storm.
“My solidarity with all the families that have been affected,” wrote Luque on X.
A heavy rainstorm caused by low pressure swept across parts of Central and South America on Sunday, with various countries warning of the increased risk of landslides, rock falls and flooding.
In El Salvador, the civil protection agency declared a red alert for heavy rains across the small nation, while airlines diverted flights in neighbouring Guatemala, its communications ministry said.