Landslides kill at least 18 in Ecuador capital

A rain-weakened hillside has collapsed in Ecuador’s capital, sweeping over homes and a sports field

Ecuador Landslide (Copyright 2022. The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

A rain-weakened hillside collapsed in Ecuador's capital, sweeping over homes and a sports field and killing at least 18 people, rescue officials said Tuesday.

The government's emergency agency said at least three homes were destroyed and that neighbors had joined rescue workers in hunting through the ruins for survivors.

The rescue agency initially reported 14 known dead, but Metropolitan District police Commander César Zapata later told Ecuavisa television that four more victims had been found.,

Images from the collapse showed waves of mud, some 3 meters (10-feet) high, carrying vehicles, trash bins and other debris under a heavy rain Monday night in the neighborhoods of La Gasca and Armero on the slopes of the Ruco Pinchincha mountain.

As the rescue began, police called for silence so that the cries of those trapped could be heard.