Death toll rises to 43 in Ecuador landslide

QUITO, April 19 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a March 26 landslide in central Ecuador's Chimborazo province rose to 43, the Attorney General's Office said Wednesday.

The agency said on social media that it had "ordered the removal of 4 (more) bodies from the landslide in #Alausi," a rural district in the country's Andean region.

"As of today, 43 people have died in the natural disaster," it added.

Heavy rains sparked a massive nighttime landslide that buried buildings, streets and everything else across 24.3 hectares, according to the Risk Management Secretariat.

A total of 41 bodies were recovered at the site, while two victims died in hospital, the secretariat said.

In addition, 45 people remained missing, 43 sustained injuries and 32 were rescued, it added.

The landslide destroyed 163 houses and left 1,034 people homeless.

Fire department and military crews continued search and rescue operations for potential survivors, amid the risk of another landslide.

On April 10, the secretariat raised an alert level for the area from yellow to orange, after detecting ground movement in an area spanning 214 hectares.