At least six people are missing after a landslide swept away dozens of houses built on a hillside on Tuesday March 15 in a village in northern Peru.
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“
Six people are missing for the time being, three adults and three children
,” Health Ministry risk management officer Dr. Jorge Luis Escobar said on a television channel.
The balance sheet could change dramatically in the hours to come.
Impressive videos filmed by residents of the town of Retamas show tons of earth falling off the top of the hill and swallowing up many houses.
"
The scree covered, according to the first observations, between 60 and 80 houses
", said on a local radio the governor of the region of Libertad, Manuel Llempen.
"
There are many people trapped (...) inside the houses
".
The President of Peru, Pedro Castillo, assured that the government would help the families affected by the disaster.
He said he sent the Minister of Defense, José Gavidia, and the head of Civil Security to the scene.
Difficult to access, the town of Retamas, mainly inhabited by families of miners, is located 16 hours by road from the regional capital Trujillo, 500 km north of Lima.
Landslides are common during the southern summer months in the Peruvian Andes due to seasonal rains.