Mudslide blocks highway in Huarochiri province, isolating 10 districts

A highway linking Peru’s capital, Lima, to the Peruvian interior has been blocked by a mudslide caused by heavy rains, leaving ten districts and hundreds of people stranded since Tuesday, daily Peru21 reported.

The highway has been heavily damaged by mud and stones in the Huarochiri province, some 70 kilometers, or 43 miles, from Lima.

Authorities ordered that the roadway be cleared with heavy machinery as soon as possible, as hundreds of vehicles have been left stranded on the highway.

The districts affected by the mudslide include Antioquía, Lahuaytambo, Sangallaya, San Lorenzo de Quinti, San Pedro de Huancayre, Santiago de Anchucaya, San Juan de Tantaranche, Santiago de Anchucaya, Langa and San José de los Chorrillos.

Since January, five mudslides have paralyzed Peru’s Central Highway – between kilometers 33 and 74 – and caused the death of at least 30 miners in the highland village of Winchomayo.