Authorities in Peru on Friday disclosed that the death toll from devastating mudslides in the country’s southern and central regions has climbed to 18, including three children.
Rains were heaviest in the Arequipa region, where homes, roads, schools, and a medical center were destroyed in Camana province.
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Numerous artisanal mines are located in the area, and officials fear some people may have been trapped in makeshift tunnels.
The children who died ranged in age from one to 10 years old, officials said.
In a related development Mudslides left no fewer than 10 people dead at two makeshift mines in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following torrential rain, local officials confirmed.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the disasters came after heavy rain overnight Thursday to Friday across the Fizi enclave in South Kivu province, said locals.
The mudslides hit two gold mining sites in the area.
‘The provisional toll is 10 people dead, nine others injured, and missing people,’ Aime Kaway, the administrator at Fizi, told reporters, adding that it was difficult to know the exact number of missing.
‘Most of the victims are artisanal miners and other persons who frequent the two mining sites,’ he said.
Onesphore Kabandilwa, a local Red Cross official, whose teams were handling the burial of the victims, confirmed the toll of 10 people.