LIMA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Four people have been missing after a mudslide hit the town of Calicanto, in Peru's southern Ayacucho department, the National Civil Defense Institute (Indeci) reported Friday.
Indeci chief Jorge Chavez said the mudslide occurred in the early morning of Friday and was caused by heavy rains in the area during the past several hours.
The landslide destroyed 20 of the 70 homes in the town, located in the valley of the rivers of Apurimac, Ene and Mantaro (Vraem).
Local people affected by the disaster have received help from firefighters from the Kimbiri district, as well as personnel from the Ayacucho Civil Defense.
Another landslide was reported in the town of Tutumbaru, in the province of Huanta, also in the Vraem area, which blocked the road connecting other points of Ayacucho.
Chavez said a military contingent has been sent to the affected areas to help the victims.
Once the weather conditions improve, a helicopter will be sent to Calicanto, according to the official.
Tutumbaru mayor Roberto Huaman asked the government for help to send heavy machinery to clear the roadway.
