1st LD: Mudslide kills 36 in Peru

LIMA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 36 people were killed in Peru after a mudslide buried several communities in the province of Camana, in the southern region of Arequipa, authorities confirmed Monday.

"We have just communicated with the municipal agent of the Miski sector, where they reported the 36 deaths. They found the bodies and they are stranded there on the highway," the technical secretary of the National Civil Defense Institute, Wilson Gutierrez, told Radio Programs of Peru.

Heavy rains over the weekend sparked a mudslide that affected several communities, including Pampaylima, Venado de Oro, Infiernillo, San Martin, Posko Miski and Secocha, all located in the district of Mariano Nicolas Valcarcel.