Unusual, very large landslide hits Chunchi, Ecuador
Image credit: ECU 911 Riobamba
A very large landslide hit near the town of Chunchi in Chimborazo, Ecuador, on February 12, 2021. According to Dr. Dave Petley of The Landslide Blog, its scale makes the event unusual, as an entire hamlet disappeared after the slide.
A state of emergency has been declared in Chunchi as the landslide caused damaged and led to the disappearance of a hamlet.
As a result of the landslide, two people sustained injuries, two bridges were damaged, and the Chunchi-La Armenia-Huigra road was completely closed.
About 200 families were evacuated, while another 350 in Huigra were moved to safer grounds.
According to local media, the slide was caused by a geological fault and excess groundwater in the La Armenia sector. The central and local governments conducted measures and actions to clear the excess land.
#ECU911 activó la respuesta de organismos de socorro por deslizamiento de tierra en #Chunchi. Se trabaja en la evacuación, búsqueda y rescate de personas posibles afectadas.@GoberChimborazo@ECU911_@CapiZapataEC pic.twitter.com/PDLQrIOJcv
— ECU 911 Riobamba (@ecu911Riobamba) February 12, 2021
@Riesgos_Ec: En seguimiento al deslizamiento ocurrido en #Chunchi, equipo técnico de @Riesgos_Ec, Bomberos Chunchi y UGR del GAD cantonal evalúan las acciones y trabajos a realizar también constatar las maquinarias que operarán hoy en trabajos de limpieza de escombros. pic.twitter.com/6b8I76Bqyb
— Cómplice FM (@complicefm) February 13, 2021
Increíble deslizamiento de gran magnitud en Chunchi, sector la Armenia, Ecuador. A su paso la enorme masa inestable destruye viviendas, tramos de carretera y obstruye el cauce del río. #Landslide #earthflow @davepetley #procesosmorfodinámicos #GestiónDelRiesgoDeDesastres pic.twitter.com/MlI6waa8H9
— Geotweets (@Yobanygf) February 13, 2021
#Chimborazo #Chunchi#Urgente
En el cantón Chunchi se registró un Fuerte deslizamiento de tierra en el sector la Armenia que sepultó a la comunidad de ChanChan .. pic.twitter.com/v2jEBg98t6— VideosDeEcuador (@NotiViralEc) February 12, 2021
"The scale of the landslide makes this a somewhat unusual event," said Dr. Petley, who described the landslide as very large. "The upper part of the landslide appears to be a very large rotational failure."
The main slide appears to have undercut the valley slide, he further explained, which caused another substantial area of failure.
Judging by the videos, Dr. Petley said the fail debris appears to have transformed into a flow with quite high levels of mobility in places.
"The biggest threat now appears to be blockage of the channel of the Picay River," he wrote. "Reports indicate that a lake is developing on the upstream side. Efforts are under way to create a channel to avoid an uncontrolled breach."
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