Peru: Eight dead after landslide in the Andes

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Rescue teams this weekend found the bodies of a 3-year-old boy and a 32-year-old man in the rubble of homes destroyed by a landslide last Tuesday in a town in the province of Pataz, in northern Peru, bringing the total number of deaths in the accident to eight.

“It is with deep regret, I would like to inform that we have recovered the body of a 3-year-old minor in the village of Retamas, where a landslide occurred a few days ago,” informed the Peruvian Minister of Defense José Gavidia.

On his Twitter account, the minister added that the rescue brigades also located “the last person who was missing in Retamas”. “He is César Lara, 32 years old, with which the eight missing persons have been found to try to alleviate the pain of their families,” said the minister.

Gavidia remarked that the authorities would continue “giving all the support to the families affected by this tragedy”.

The collapse of a hillside last Tuesday, March 15, affected dozens of homes in the mining town of Retamas, located some 900 kilometers north of Lima in the La Libertad region.

As of Wednesday, Minister Gavidia reported that eight people were missing due to the accident, but during the first days, the rescue teams could only find four bodies until this weekend when they located the rest.

Gavidia also stated that seven houses were completely buried by mud and rocks, thus correcting the initial reports of between 60 and 80 houses destroyed.

In addition, some 70 people were evacuated to avoid the risk of another landslide. At the same time, rescue work was undertaken by specialized teams of firefighters, the National Police, the Peruvian Army, and mine workers in the area.

On March 16, President Pedro Castillo visited the accident site, talked with the affected people, flew over the area, and was informed about the emergency work.

The President announced that Retamas was going to be declared an emergency zone, which was confirmed shortly after in a session of the Council of Ministers, while members of the community asked for more resources for health and education, and stated that several parts of the district lack drinking water and basic sanitary services.

In this regard, the Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Sanitation indicated that a team of specialists and technicians is assessing the damage and coordinating the care of the victims in this locality, located more than seven hours by road from the coastal city of Trujillo.

With information from EFE