Rainstorms normal for Peru in February caused severe mudslides on Sunday and Monday, and have already killed at least 36 people and affected 1,000 homes in the district of Mariano Nicolás Valcárcel in Camaná, per local news station RPP.
In Camaná, 3 kilometers of the road — the only access to the city — has been destroyed, making it impossible for help to come by ground, per RPP. One helicopter was able to drop some water and food, but more is needed to sustain the population size of the area.
The mudslides are high enough to have reached the second floor of some homes, RPP reported, and a surge was strong enough to pull a van full of five people into the river, The Associated Press reported.
At least 36 were confirmed dead by Wilson Gutierrez, who is a civil defense official in the Mariano Nicolás Valcárcel municipality in the Camaná province, reported the AP.
Government officials are currently working to clear the blocked road of the debris and get more help to those being affected, which includes about 20,000 people, per RPP.