landslides leave at least 15 dead and 20 injured in the south of the country

A series of landslides in the southern region of Arequipa, Peru, left at least 15 dead, 20 injured and two missing on Monday (February 6th), authorities said. This first assessment was unveiled by the National Institute of Civil Defense in Arequipa. The total number of victims in the region is currently some 12,000 people, said regional governor Rohel Sanchez.

The most affected area is the district of Mariano Nicolas Valcarcel, in the province of Camaná, west of Arequipa. Four localities in the district and the neighboring region of Rio Grande were particularly affected. “The situation in these four villages is very unfavorable (…) both in Rio Grande and Nicolas Valcarcel”the regional governor told local television Canal N.

He explained that there was a lot of mining activity in the hills surrounding these villages. “We probably have people (and workers) there who couldn’t get out and were swept away by the mudslides”, added Rohel Sánchez. Authorities in Arequipa have asked the central government in Lima to declare a state of emergency for natural disasters in the region.