As many as 12 people have been killed, and 20 others injured after a landslide struck two boats in Peru’s southern Amazon province on Tuesday, officials said.
The local health officials and rescue teams said that two people were still missing since the incident and added that the national police, along with navy units, had been sent to the area by helicopter to support the ongoing rescue operation. The landslide occurred around 4:20 am local time (10:20 CET) in the river port of Iparia in the Amazon jungle region of Ucayali, approximately 415 kilometres from the capital, Lima, hitting two boats that were making their way to other towns in the area.
Among the dead are three children, officials confirmed. More than 50 per cent of Peru is covered by the thick, dense forest, including a wide expanse of the Amazon basin.
Rescuers' efforts are hampered by bad weather, yet authorities are trying every available option to locate the missing, a government spokesman said. The Navy officer leading the search and rescue operation said efforts were complicated by the rapid flow of water and whirlpools in the river. He said, “The country is in flood season,” adding, “The conditions were difficult at the time of the landslide due to changing weather and fog.
Two boats, according to officials, sank as a result of the hit. The number of exact casualties is not yet known and might rise as the day progresses. One of the boats was travelling from a nearby indigenous community and made a stopover in Iparia so passengers could disembark, with teachers and doctors on board, sources said.
Also Read: Trump confirms call with Maduro amid OPEC tensions
Follow us
