At least fifteen people are missing after landslide that struck yesterday Tuesday houses built in hillside in his village of northern Peru.
“We estimate that between fifteen and twenty people are missing,” said Defense Minister Jose Gavidia during a visit to the region last night, about ten hours after huge masses collapsed on the hill.
According to officials, at least three children are among the missing people.
Watch the video from the moment of the landslide:
The report may get worse in the next few hours. Scary images filmed by residents of the community of Retamas depict huge rocks weighing many tons falling from a height and swallowing houses.
“According to the first data, the rocks crushed from 60 to 80 houses,” Libertad governor Manuel Gemben told a local radio station. “They were completely buried,” he added.
Many people who were crushed by tumors of mud and rocks were rescued by their neighbors, who pierced ceilings and walls, according to Peruvian media.
“There are a lot of people trapped (…) inside their homes,” said Mr Geben.
THE President of Peru, Pedro Castillopromised that the government will provide assistance to the families affected by the disaster.
The community of Retamas, in an inaccessible area, is inhabited mainly by families of miners. It is a 16-hour drive from the regional capital Trujillo, 500 km north of the capital, Lima.
Landslides are common in the summer of the southern hemisphere in the Peruvian Andes, due to seasonal rains.
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