OMM Newsroom
Heavy rainfall has left one person dead, two missing and around 80 evacuated on Ecuador’s Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos archipelago, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency, Anadolu Agency reported, citing Ecuadorian media outlet Ecuavisa.
The death was reported in the Bellavista sector, while the two people missing were reported in Divino Nino, according to an emergency report.
Flooding affected several areas, including Bellavista and Santa Rosa in the island’s central highlands, as well as Miramar, Aguacatal and La Cascada in the coastal area. A house collapsed in Miramar, and power lines were damaged.
Around 80 people were evacuated to the Santa Cruz Sports Coliseum, which was converted into a temporary shelter.
Commercial operations at the airport on Baltra Island were suspended, although it remained available for emergency flights and humanitarian aid transport.
Road disruptions were also reported, particularly on the route connecting Puerto Ayora and Bellavista. Authorities urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
The Government Council of Galapagos said it had deployed heavy machinery and trucks to support evacuations and assistance, in coordination with the Cantonal Emergency Operations Committee.
Carolina Lozano, secretary for risk management, said authorities had carried out evacuation and rescue operations and established two temporary shelters with a combined capacity of 500 people, according to a post on the social media platform “X”.
Lozano said the government was assessing the needs of affected families and preparing to send 1,000 humanitarian assistance kits to the island.
The National Emergency Operations Committee deployed 13 health professionals, who provided more than 55 medical consultations and transferred three patients to a hospital.
The Santa Cruz Health Center remained out of service because of flooding, Ecuavisa reported.
Authorities continued to coordinate rescue, evacuation and humanitarian assistance operations as damage assessments proceeded.
