Mud Slides Hit Ecuador; Up to 160 Feared Dead
QUITO, Ecuador — As many as 160 people were feared dead in parts of southern Ecuador Friday following mud slides that buried as many as eight buses, trapping its passengers, according to official and civilian accounts.
Heavy rains triggered the slides in Guayas and Canar provinces, south of this capital city.
Near the town of Cochancay, in Guayas province, more than 100 passengers were feared killed Thursday in mud slides that witnesses said buried between three and five buses. Soldiers dug through the debris in an effort to reach the victims.
Civil defense Capt. Guillermo Flores said Friday, “Given the time that has passed, it is thought that there will be no survivors.â€
In Canar province, at least 36 people were known to have died Friday when a mud slide buried a passenger bus.
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