Death toll from Ecuador landslide deaths rises to 17, over 70 remain missing

FILE PHOTO: View of the site of a landslide triggered by heavy rains, during rescue operations, in Alausi, Ecuador March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Toro

QUITO (Reuters) - At least 17 people have died from a landslide triggered by heavy rains in Ecuador's Andean region, sweeping down over parts of the city of Alausi, authorities said on Thursday, as the death toll increased and 72 people remained missing.

The landslide struck Sunday night, and on Tuesday, the official death toll stood at 11.