LIMA – The death toll from the mudslides triggered by torrential rains last week in the central region of Huanuco has risen to 32, Peruvian media reported.

The mudslides occurred last Wednesday in Chinchao, a district in Huanuco, where five people died, and the next day in neighboring Ambo province.

The death toll in Ambo has risen to 27, Canal N television reported from the disaster zone.

A disaster declaration was issued over the weekend for the area where the mudslides occurred in Ambo.

Two of the bodies found in Ambo have not been identified, while 40 people are still listed as missing and some 500 others have been forced from their homes, Canal N said.

Officials do not have a final tally of the casualties and damage during this year’s rainy season, which has left dozens dead, thousands of others homeless and caused extensive damage, especially in Cuzco province, whose lifeblood is tourism.

Thousands of tourists had to be evacuated from the town of Machu Picchu, gateway to the like-named Inca citadel, in late January due to the heavy rains.

The tourist destination, a World Heritage Site, was closed for two months, reopening on April 1. EFE