Rescue efforts continue in Quito, Ecuador, after the intense rains at the beginning of the week caused a flood that has left at least 26 dead.
The works have already been extended for more than 48 hours to try to find the disappeared, estimated at five. In the case of injuries, the authorities of the South American country count 53.
The landslide that It mainly affected the La Comuna and La Gasca neighborhoods and was caused by the rains that fell on Monday afternoon in the capital.
Apart from human losses, the rains damaged homes and vehicles.
Most of the images in the disaster show the excess of water, mud and stones running down the streets of Quito, as well as the currents dragging several vehicles and motorcycles.
Some in particular are popularized in electronic media and social networks, since show how uniform The Ministry of Defense and the Metropolitan Police rescue a man in La Gasca. In the video, it can be seen when the officers place the man, all covered in mud, on a stretcher.
In an interview with Radio Pichincha quoted by the newspaper El Comercio, Colonel Fernando Vaca Moncayo, Chief of Operations for the Metropolitan District of Quito, assured that the rescue and debris collection operations left by the event continue. The spokesman added that an operation with more than 400 police officers has been deployed in the so-called “Zone Zero” for security work and for help in the cleaning of the houses that were affected.
Members of the Armed Forces, the Fire Department, and Municipal personnel also help in the rescue and recovery tasks.
The authorities have not only helped humans from the mud, but also animals. The Lucky Animal Welfare Foundation confirmed the rescue of 14 dogs, seven puppies and one cat, most of them royal.
Katynka Cevallos, a volunteer of the entity, stated that since the disaster was reported in the La Comuna and La Gasca sector, personnel went to the scene after receiving an alert call.