|
Deadly floods hit Ecuador
|
| Print |
|
E-mail
|
|
SCI-TECH
|
|
By Agencies
|
|
![About 60,000 people are thought to have been affected by the floods [EPA]](http://mwcnews.net/images/stories/Global2/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/Ecuador-floods.jpg "About 60,000 people are thought to have been affected by the floods [EPA]") | | About 60,000 people are thought to have been affected by the floods [EPA] |
At least four people have died in Ecuador after torrential rains and flooding swept across the country, triggering mudslides and causing thousands to abandon their homes.
Five coastal provinces have flooded, while four others have suffered significant damage to their infrastructure, authorities say.
Up to 60,000 people are estimated to have been affected by the rains, which have been falling across the country since mid-January.
Ecuador declared a national state of emergency on Wednesday, ordering the military and national police assist aid efforts in the affected regions.
Army deployed
The four victims drowned when an ambulance they were travelling in slid off a flooded road and into a canal, authorities told Reuters. Rafael Correa, the Ecuador president, has ordered the army to help thousands of evacuees and extended an emergency decree in a bid to deliver about $21m in funds to affected areas.
In the the coastal city of Babahoyo, about 200 km southeast of the capital, Quito, cattle ranchers tried to move their herds to higher ground.
"The water came down here and last night the cows had water up to their necks. They couldn't walk," rancher Mauricio Quintanilla told Reuters news agency.
Recommend this article...
Tags: Ecuador
|
