Quito, Ecuador— A landslide slammed into a mountain pass in the central Andes on November 1, 2026, burying a vehicle and killing three people, shutting the road and leaving dozens of travelers stranded.
The slide came down just before 7 a.m. on the route linking the highlands to the Amazon slope. Witnesses said a wall of mud, rock, and uprooted trees broke from the hillside after overnight rain. It hit a pickup truck mid-turn. The vehicle vanished under the mass.
Rescue teams from the National Risk Management Service reached the site by 9 a.m. They found the road covered by an estimated 300 meters of debris up to four meters deep in places. Heavy machinery was brought in. The bodies were recovered by late morning.
The victims were all inside the pickup, according to preliminary reports. Local officials said they were traveling from Baeza toward Papallacta. Their identities have not been released pending family notification. No other vehicles were reported trapped, but authorities are checking.
The pass is narrow. It cuts through steep, unstable terrain. Rain has been constant this week. El Comercio noted that the National Institute of Meteorology had warned of saturated soils in the area. Cracks had been reported on the slope above the road earlier in October.
"Saturation was extreme. The slope gave way without warning," a risk management official told reporters at the site. "We are keeping the road closed until geologists clear it."
The road is critical for produce and fuel transport. Closure backed up trucks for kilometers on both sides. The Ministry of Transport said an alternate route through Latacunga would add three hours. Buses were told to suspend service for the day.
Residents in nearby communities were asked to stay alert. The risk service placed two villages on yellow alert. Patrols will monitor for secondary slides. The rain forecast remains active through the weekend.
Crews continued to clear loose rock. The road will stay shut.
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