Strong rains in Peru caused a landslide that killed at least eight people in the southern Arequipa area, according to national emergency services on Monday. Search and rescue operations are still going on, according to Peru’s COEN national emergency centre. In Camana province, near the town of Secocha, a landslide caused by heavy rains last week left five more persons missing, according to officials.
On Twitter, the defence ministry said that it is supporting the operations by donating helicopters, tents, water tanks, sandbags, and emergency response staff. Peru has been witnessing massive protests since December last year from supporters of far-left former president Pedro Castillo.
Castillo’s supporters are outraged over his arrest following impeachment and failed attempt to dissolve Congress. Dozens of people have died in the unrest which has gripped the Latin American nation.
A visitor and a tour guide died earlier as a result of the torrential rains in Peru in late January. City of Cuzco and The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, both of which placed on the World Heritage List in 1983, have suffered damage due to the heavy rains.
On January 25, landslides that shut down the railway between Aguas Calientes and Ollantaytambo left 2,000 visitors in the area of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu stuck and unable to get back to the City of Cuzco. Later, the rescue of one-third of these tourists was carried by helicopter.
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