QUITO, Ecuador — A landslide surged into a highway in central Ecuador on Sunday killing at least five people, authorities said, as heavy rains pummeled the country and caused rivers to overflow.
The flood of mud and debris plowed down the hillside and hit three cars, two houses and a bus in the Ecuadoran resort city of Baños, about three and a half hours southeast of Quito, the capital, the local fire department said. Deputy fire chief Capt. Angel Barriga said rescuers were treating nine injured and had retrieved five bodies from the disaster site.
The city of Baños, a jumping-off point for the Amazon, has long been a magnet for adventure-seeking tourists exploring Ecuador’s volcanoes, craters and jungle.
Heavy rains have drenched Ecuador and other parts of the region for several days, with a landslide killing two children in El Salvador earlier this week.
Across Ecuador, the storms sent a deluge of mud and floodwaters crashing into highways and bridges, severing the main road connecting Ecuador’s highlands to its Amazonian provinces.
Torrential rains caused several Ecuadoran rivers to jump their banks. A torrent of water from the Pisque River flooded a popular waterpark north of the capital Sunday. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Emergency workers in Ecuador said that several landslides had blocked or swept away streets, slowing rescue efforts as the downpour continued. The mayor of Baños city, Miguel Guevara, urged residents to steer clear of treacherous roads and said authorities were racing to clear the area along the northern coast to search for more victims.