Rescuers search for victims on a pitch devastated by a deadly flood in Quito

Military, police and firefighters Ecuador They concentrated on Wednesday the search for victims among the mud and debris that remained in a sports field in Quitodevastated by a flood, and that left at least 25 dead, found the AFP.

LOOK: Tragedy in Ecuador: death toll rises to 24 due to flood in Quito after historic rains | VIDEOS

The rescuers trace what was the field in which a large group of people, including athletes and the public, was surprised by tens of thousands of cubic meters of mud that violently descended from the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, where the capital stands.

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“They were cars, poles, trees” dragged, the young Cristian Criollo told the press, who is looking for his brother who is among the six missing so far due to the incident.

“He does not appear, we have looked for him everywhere,” he added.

The sports space was devastated as it was the first thing encountered by the powerful current that rushed down one of the steepest ravines in the city, with a 40% incline, according to Mayor Santiago Guarderas.

The flood has so far left 25 dead, 53 injured and six missing, according to the most recent balance of the capital municipality.

As of Tuesday, 24 dead, 48 injured and 12 missing were reported.

It is estimated that most of the victims were on the court, where a volleyball championship was being played.

– Zero zone –

“We are going to fence off what is called ground zero, the volleyball court, and the entire surrounding sector is going to be cleaned,” Guarderas told the press.

He added that the rescuers, who raised an Ecuadorian flag in the area in honor of the victims, will carry out search tasks there until Thursday “to see if, unfortunately, any more deaths are found, and then to start cleaning that sector”.

“A volleyball championship was being played. This caused us to have this fatal number of victims,” he added.

Quito, with 2.7 million inhabitants, is facing one of the largest and most lethal destructions.

Due to the most intense rains in two decades, mud, stones and trunks descended from the mountain and moved along 2 km of La Gasca avenue, in the northwest and the one most affected by the torrent.

On Monday a downpour fell that lasted for 17 hours and reached a record 75 liters per m2, when 2 liters per m2 was forecast. A reservoir that contained water from the mountain, with a capacity of 4,500 m3, collapsed when receiving a flow almost four times greater.

The flood destroyed homes, vehicles, and power poles.

“It is a totally extraordinary event, it is a natural phenomenon,” said the mayor of the capital, noting that the balance includes 340 people affected.

The rainy season, which has hit 22 of the 24 Ecuadorian provinces since October, has left 41 dead, 73 injured, 361 homeless and 3,176 affected as of Tuesday, according to the National Risk Management Service.

The effects reach highways, agricultural areas and homes, as well as health and education centers.

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Source: Elcomercio

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