Rains in the Galápagos leave at least one dead and two missing
Overflowing ravines sent about 80 people to a shelter on Santa Cruz island. The mayor says two people died; the emergency service has confirmed one.
Rains that began Friday night and continued Saturday overflowed ravines on Santa Cruz island in the Galápagos, leaving at least one person dead and two missing. Ecuador's ECU 911 emergency service confirmed one death, in the Bellavista area. Mayor Fanny Uribe has put the toll at two, a figure the emergency service has not confirmed.
The two missing people are in Divino Niño, according to preliminary information from the county emergency committee. About 80 people were evacuated to the Santa Cruz sports coliseum, where the provincial health office counted more than 85 medical consultations. Three patients were transferred to the Hospital República del Ecuador, and one remains under observation in stable condition.
Floods or overflows hit Bellavista, Santa Rosa, Aguacatal, Miramar, Divino Niño and La Cascada. A house collapsed in Miramar, poles fell, and the upper part of the island lost power in several spots. The road to Baltra, home to the airport most visitors use, was left under water. The island has been declared in a state of emergency.
Three Galápagos National Park boats were used to get people out of La Cascada, along with firefighters, police and soldiers.
The Galápagos are an Ecuadorian archipelago that lives off tourism and services. Heavy rain had triggered landslides on Santa Cruz in past seasons, but not with a death toll like this one.
Ecuador's risk management secretariat opened two shelters with a combined capacity of 500 people and announced the delivery of 1,000 humanitarian aid kits. Its head, Carolina Lozano, said aid from the mainland arrived early Sunday.
Anyone with a trip to Santa Cruz in the coming days, Mexican travelers included, should check with their airline and tour operator that the itinerary still stands.
