Peru mudslide: 15 dead after hotel devastated during wedding party
Officials say the city of Abancay had been battered by heavy rains for five days, which led to the deadly mudslide.
Monday 28 January 2019 05:15, UK
At least 15 people have been killed after a mudslide crashed into a hotel during wedding celebrations in Peru, authorities have confirmed.
The mayor of Abancay, Evaristo Ramos, said there were about 100 guests at the wedding party and said 34 people had also been injured.
"The mudslide broke through the walls of the hotel, crashing through," he told Peruvian radio outlet RPP.
Firefighters, along with police and residents, worked through the night to rescue those trapped under the rubble and debris left behind at the Alhambra hotel.
Peru's civil defence chief General Jorge Chavez said 11 woman and four men were among those who died, and said five of those injured were in a critical condition.
He said they did not include the bride and groom - Benedicta Palomino and Bladimir Marquez, who local officials said were in a stable condition.
The hotel, which is built close to a hillside, had a retaining wall collapse under heavy rains, authorities said. They added that the mudslide had brought the roof of the hotel down on the wedding party below.
Rusby Zela, the local civil defence head, said the city had been battered by rains for five days, saying it led to the collapse.
Officials urged those searching for missing relatives to visit nearby health centres to find and identify their loved ones.