Landslide in northern Peru buries at least 60 homes

LIMA: Part of a hill collapsed in northern Peru on Tuesday, burying at least 60 homes, the government said, with harrowing images on social media showing whole apartment buildings being covered by the landslide.

"We estimate that between 60 and 80 homes have been affected by the landslide. There are many people trapped," Manuel Llempen, the governor of the Peruvian region of La Libertad, told news channel Canal N.

There were no confirmed deaths as of Tuesday at noon, but rescue squads were on the scene searching for people, according to local media.

Llempen did not explain the cause of the collapse but said it had happened in an area that is home to mining workers and not safe for the construction of homes.

Peru has high rates of housing informality, with homes often built on the edges of rivers or on the sides of hills prone to landslides.

"We are drilling into the walls and saving and rescuing people whose homes have been covered," Llempen said.