WION published March 16, 2022: Landslide hits Peruvian town of Retamas; 60 houses buried, 15 trapped. A major landslide in northern Peru has left at least 60 homes buried. According to authorities at least 15 people were trapped including three children.
The Daily Mail, UK
written by Reuters and Adry Torres for Daily Mail
Wednesday March 16, 2022
Part of a hill collapsed, causing a landslide that killed a 68-year-old man and crushed dozens of residences in the northern Peruvian province of Pataz on Tuesday.
A frightening video on social media showed rows of homes in the mining town being wiped out by sliding mud that rushed down the mountain.
President of Peru Pedro Castillo confirmed Wednesday that one person was killed.
President of Peru Pedro Castillo confirmed Wednesday that one person was killed.
At least eight people were injured and 15 others are still missing.
Defense Minister José Luis Gavidia told Peruvian network RPP Noticias on Wednesday that seven people, including three children, were trapped inside an apartment building.
One of the children is a newborn, another is between 2 and 3, and the third is a 14-year-old. It is unclear if the person killed was among the eight.
Gavidia said tenants have helped authorities find the section of the building where members of three families are stuck.
Manuel Llempén, the governor of the Peruvian region of La Libertad, told RPP Noticias that the incident took place around 8am local time. 'We estimate that between 60 and 80 homes have been affected by the landslide. There are many people trapped,' Llempen told news channel Canal N.
Rescue squads were still searching for people. At least 70 families were evacuated from their homes and placed in nearby shelters.
President Castillo said residents would be provided assistance in moving into new homes away from the hill area.
Llempén did not explain the cause of the collapse in Retamas, a village of 3,000 that is home to mining workers but not safe for the construction of homes.
'We have had a report for years where we ask the mayor of the respective district to prevent the construction of more houses in this area,' Llempén said. 'Construction licenses are granted by the respective municipalities.'
The area was struck by a deadly landslide that killed nine people in 2009. At the time, the Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute issued a warning that the zone was inhospitable.
The residences are mostly four-stories high and house as many as 10 families.
Peru has high rates of housing informality, with homes often built on the edges of rivers or on the sides of hills prone to landslides.
'We are drilling into the walls, and saving and rescuing people whose homes have been covered,' Llempen said.
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