Fourteen people died and 67 others are still missing after the landslide that buried a district of the city of Alausi, in the southern part of Ecuador, on Sunday, according to the latest report released by the authorities on Wednesday.

A giant chunk of the mountain broke off overnight Sunday into Monday and hit the district on the outskirts of this city of 45,000 in Ciborasso province, about 300 kilometers south of the capital Quito.

The landslide injured 33 more residents, while 163 houses were hit, according to the latest figures from the national secretariat for risk management (SNGR).

Rescue crews and residents continued to dig, slowly and carefully, but non-stop, in the mud and debris, unearthing personal items, clothes, photos… But members of rescue crews warned that the possibility of finding survivors had practically vanished, three days after the disaster.

The government opened three reception centers for those affected who were left homeless, while 600 houses that were not hit by the landslide were ordered to be evacuated. The sector has been on “yellow alert” since February due to heavy rains.

Because of the rains, floods and landslides, the government last week declared a state of emergency in 13 of Ecuador’s 24 provinces so that resources needed to help those affected could be released.

Even before this landslide, since the beginning of the year rains and landslides had claimed the lives of 22 people and left 346 others homeless across the country. More than 6,900 houses were damaged and 72 were completely destroyed, according to official figures.