Large landslide blocks Colca River in Arequipa, Peru
Image credit: Copernicus EU/Sentinel-2, TW. Acquired on May 9, 2021
A large landslide hit the Caylloma Province, Peru at around 07:30 LT on May 9, 2021, blocking the Colca River in the district of Chivay and forming a natural dam.
The landslide took place close to the city of Chivay and is about 300 m (985 feet) long.
Authorities estimated the river is blocked by at least 800 m3 (28 250 feet3) of rock and earth, and ordered the clearing of the debris to drain the accumulated water.
There are no reports of the affected population.

Image credit: Copernicus EU/Sentinel-2, TW. Acquired on May 9, 2021
Another landslide in June 2020, in the same province blocked the Colca River and damaged multiple agricultural areas, affecting 80 ha (200 acres) of crops in the area between Huasapampa, Quello, Ccalcha and Huancaro.
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
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