Landslide in Ecuador kills at least 16, with dozens missing

By PATRICIA OLEAS and CESAR OLMOS
Associated Press

ALAUSI, Ecuador (AP) — A massive landslide has swept over an Andean community in central Ecuador, burying dozens of homes, killing at least 16 people and sending rescuers on a frantic search for survivors. Ecuador’s Risk Management Secretariat said more than 30 people were rescued and nearly 50 others remained missing following Sunday’s landslide in Alausí, about 137 miles south of the capital, Quito. The agency also reported 23 people were injured when the mountainside collapsed around 10 p.m. The risk management agency estimated that 500 people and 163 homes were affected by the disaster, which also destroyed a portion of the Pan-American Highway.