QUITO, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Eight provinces of Ecuador declared a state of regional emergency for 90 days amid impact of heavy rains, the country's National Secretariat of Risk Management (SNGR) said Friday.
The emergency state applies to Guayas, Esmeraldas, Los Rios, El Oro, Santa Elena and Manabi in the coastal area, Loja in the south and Chimborazo in the center, the SNGR said in a press release.
The decision was adopted by the National Emergency Operations Committee "due to the level of impact on the population, the road network, infrastructure and livelihoods," said the release.
The state of emergency orders the activation of all entities at different levels of government in the affected territories to respond to the emergency. In addition, all public entities involved are requested to allocate the necessary resources to support the population affected by rain and floods.
According to the SNGR, since the beginning of the year, Ecuador has recorded three deaths, 13 injuries in 1,079 accidents due to heavy rains, including landslides, floods, sinkholes and water erosion, which affected 19,335 people across the South American nation. ■
