Death toll from Ecuadorean landslide climbs to 13

The death toll from Sunday's landslide in the central Ecuadorean province of Chimborazo has climbed to 13, the Attorney General's Office said Wednesday.

The agency said via Twitter it "arranged for the retrieval of one more corpse found among the debris following the landslide ... So far 13 deaths have been registered."

The massive landslide buried at least 50 homes and caused widespread damage as it spread over 24.3 hectares in the rural Andean region of Alausi canton, according to the Risk Management Secretariat.

Rescuers, military personnel and residents were intensifying the search for 67 people who are still missing.

In its latest report Tuesday night, the secretariat said a total of 31 people were injured and 32 were rescued, and more than 500 people and 163 houses were affected.

Authorities have called on residents to evacuate high-risk areas due to the possibility of new landslides since the terrain remains unstable in the wake of heavy rains.

xinhua