LIMA (AP) — At least 15 people were reported missing on Tuesday after a hill collapsed in several houses buried by heavy rain in the Peruvian Andes, authorities said.
Defense Minister José Gavidia told the media that about 15 houses were covered with mud and stone, and 8 people were rescued. “The way this town grew up in the valley is a time bomb.” He said.
As a result of mining activities, the streets are full of people, but the construction of houses was carried out in a disorderly manner, the minister explained that the main problem was to persuade people from nearby families to leave the area.
A video broadcast by a local television station showed neighbors breaking the walls of several houses to rescue their relatives. One person showed two men coming out of a hole in the wall.
Currently, authorities have not reported deaths in Parcoy, an area where gold has been mined for centuries, located in the La Libertad region, 455 kilometers northeast of Lima.
Houses destroyed by clay and stone were erected on Monday on the slopes of Mount La Esperanza, where the city collapsed after a full day of rain.
The Andes Mountains of Peru endure extreme rainfall.