Heavy rains trigger Ecuador landslide, killing six

A map of Ecuador,  Banos de Agua Santa

A landslide in Ecuador killed at least six people and left 19 others injured, amid a heavy rainstorm that battered parts of Central and South America, according to Ecuadorian authorities on Sunday.

The "large-magnitude" landslide occurred in the center of the country in the city of Banos de Agua Santa, the Ecuadorean Secretariat for Risk Management said in a report.

Earlier in the day, the agency had reported that 30 more people were missing, but in the afternoon said these people had been located.

Roberto Luque, Ecuador's minister of public works, said that operations at three hydroelectic plants had also been affected by the storm.

"My solidarity with all the families that have been affected," wrote Luque on the social media platform X.

A heavy rainstorm caused by low pressure swept across parts of Central and South America on Sunday, with various countries warning of the increased risk of landslides, rock falls and flooding.

In El Salvador, the civil protection agency declared a red alert for heavy rains across the small nation, while airlines diverted flights in neighboring Guatemala, its communications ministry said.