Floods in the capital kill at least 22

Already affected by an oil leak on a pipeline that is slowly poisoning the Amazon jungle, Ecuador must now also face a terrible natural disaster. Torrential rains, the strongest in twenty years, caused flooding in Quito, killing at least 22 people, 47 injured and 20 missing, according to the latest provisional report Tuesday from the National Risk Management Service. Information confirmed by the mayor of the capital, Santiago Guarderas.

The torrential rains that fell on Monday for 17 hours without stopping caused a retention basin to overflow, causing a torrent of water that rushed down an avenue in the La Gasca district for more than a kilometer, in the north-west of the city ​​with a population of 2.7 million. The basin, with a capacity of 4,500 m3, broke after receiving nearly four times the usual flow, said the mayor.

Drama on a sports field

Torrents of water carrying stones and mud then swept away cars and flooded houses and streets, according to images released by the emergency services and the media. Several buildings were damaged, including a police station and an electricity station. The torrent of mud, which originated on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, also hit hard a sports field on which amateurs trained in front of the public installed on bleachers.

“People were playing there and couldn’t escape. The torrent took them by surprise and swept the field,” said Freddy Barrios Gonzalez, a 56-year-old laborer who worked nearby. Mauro Pinas, a resident of Quito, said he heard “an explosion” when the retention structure burst, after which “rivers of mud” swept over the city. The authorities have not ruled out that other bodies may be discovered under the mud and rubble, while soldiers accompanied by dogs continued the search.

Military reinforcements

President Guillermo Lasso, visiting China since Monday, tweeted his condolences to the families bereaved by the tragedy. “We are continuing efforts for searches, rescues, actions to contain water, psychological attention and the transfer of injured people to health centres,” he added.

According to the mayor of Quito, some 3.5 liters per m2 fell on Saturday, but nearly 75 liters per m2 on Monday when the forecast announced rains not to exceed two liters per m2. “That’s a number we haven’t seen since 2003,” he said. The municipality of the capital has mobilized machines to clear the streets and the drainage system. Around 60 soldiers were also called in to support the search and clean-up operations.