At least 60 homes buried after part of a hill collapses in northern Peru

At least 60 homes were buried by a landslide in La Libertad, a mountainous area of northern Peru around 08:30 LT on March 15, 2022. At least 7 people are missing and there are fears there could be dozens buried under the rubble. The slide took place in the Cinco Esquinas sector, the Retamas district of the province of Pataz, after a period of intense rains.

“We estimate that between 60 and 80 homes have been affected by the landslide. There are many people trapped,” Manuel Llempen, the governor of La Libertad said.¹

The slide happened in an area that is home to mining workers and not safe for the construction of houses.

While there were no confirmed fatalities as of noon local time, that least seven people have been reported missing and there are fears there could be dozens buried under the rubble.²

Llempen said it takes approximately 16 hours to get to the region by road.

“There are quite a few people buried. We do not have enough support to be able to rescue them quickly,” said Carlos Alberto Valderrama, the commissioner of Retamas.

References:

¹ Landslide in northern Peru buries at least 60 homes – Reuters

² Landslide Buries Dozens of Houses in Peru, Rescues Underway – Newsweek

Featured image credit: UltramixTV (stillshot)