Pataz's collapse: Ombudsman's office urges “public and private institutions to care for and save those affected”

The Ombudsman's Office has established. This morning the Retamas annex collapsed in a remote area of the Park, Pataz, in the mountains of the Libertad region. According to local authorities, eight missing people have so far been recorded, including four minors, several houses in which they have been trapped, and 40 homes buried after a slide of one hillside.

In this regard, the Ombudsman's office stated on its Twitter account that it had already met members of the Peruvian army, Indeci, the police and general volunteer fire brigade to ensure their presence in emergencies.

“The Emergency Landslide Conference held in Retamas, in the Parcoy district, in the province of Pataz, is guaranteed the presence of army rescuers, Indeci, police and police fire”. He said.

They also called on public and private institutions to help victims in the area with the greatest effort. “We call on public and private agencies to make every effort to assist and save those affected; we will monitor the measures taken and humanitarian aid will reach the victims.” The Ombudsman's Office continued.

Already close to the collapse area, the Minister of Defense José Luis Gavidia has confirmed about 40 people. Rescuers will go to Pataz, in addition to the Huamachuco Army Battalion.

“The moment we go out with a group of rescuers, 20 policemen will enter with two helicopters and enter the area (...). We will go to Trujillo with 10 rescuers, and from there we can take another helicopter to enter the area. We will go into rescuers and doctors to eliminate the wounded.” He said in RPP Noticias.

“In fact, we will have three M17 helicopters in the area to take the wounded to Trujillo and start entering rescuers and doctors. This is the first step we're going to take. Next, we'll move to that area to assess the situation.” He added.

The collapse of Pataz

It should be noted that this collapse was reported on average at 8 am today, on March 15. According to local authorities, the separation of part of the hill was due to the fact that there were no suitable areas for housing construction.

Manuel Lempén, governor of La Libertad, explained that most of the inhabitants of the Retamas annex were not buried because they were already working.

“Fortunately, it happened in the morning. I could say that some of the people who live there have gone to work, but as I saw the picture, this is very tragic and I have already communicated with the President of the Republic, who ordered the minister of the Defense to go to this area”. He also told RPP Nauticias.

The La Libertad Regional Council decided to evaluate the declaration of a state of emergency in the Pataz region after the start of the rainy season. The Marañón River that runs through that village has been flooded and destroyed up to 4 sections of the road that leads to Tayabamba.town.

According to a preliminary report, the most affected by the population at that time and the most imminent danger is the valley of the villages of El Vado, Vijus and Nimpana, with houses nearby and even on the Marañón Canal. The river also affected the main road that led to Tayabamba.

Likewise, it has been shown that if the problem worsens, the country's government must declare Pataz in a state of emergency and other surrounding areas; however, this has never happened.

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