Nearly fifty people have been reported missing after a landslide triggered by months of heavy rain killed at least seven people in southern Ecuador.

Officials said the mudslide happened overnight Sunday into Monday, burying dozens of homes and injuring twenty-three people in the village of Alausi in Chimborazo province.

The avalanche also hit several public buildings, damaged roads and closed three schools.

President Guillermo Lasso noted that firefighters from neighboring areas had been rushed to the village to help people affected by the tragedy