Mayor asks for resignations of officials; Death toll rises in Zamora Chinchipe flood; Bodies of quake victims return home; Gov’t warns of high fire risk

Cuenca interim Mayor Marisol Peñaloza has asked for the resignation of at least seven city officials as part of and her ongoing “evaluation process.” In her order, she said those being evaluated will not necessarily lose their job. “We are looking at the job performance of these individuals over the past two years,” she said. “This will be done without prejudice and we will make retention and termination decisions within a week,” she said.

After assuming mayoral duties from Cristian Zamora in June, one of Peñaloza first executive actions was to dismiss two of Zamora’s advisors. She said she saw “no benefit to the city” from their employment.

Rescue workers search for survivors of Saturday’s deadly flood.

Although Peñaloza has not criticized Zamora, she has says there is a need to “reoxygenate” the municipal government.

Death toll rises in Zamora Chinchipe flood
The death toll from Saturday’s flood in Zamora Chinchipe Province rose to 10 late Monday while the national Risk Management office reported the number of injured stands at 38. In addition, 200 people remain homeless following the overflow of the Zamora River.

Nine people are listed as missing, including Zamora Chinchipe Governor Ivonne Panchi.

Risk Management reports that almost 200 rescue workers, assisted by heavy equipment, continue to search for the dead and missing in the villages of Santa Isabel and Cantzama. It added that roads leading into the affected areas will be cleared of mud by Tuesday afternoon, allowing more humanitarian supplies to arrive.

Dead and living Ecuadorians return from Venezuela quake site
The bodies of three Ecuadorians killed in the Venezuelan earthquakes arrived in Quito on Saturday. The bodies were accompanied by 18 Ecuadorians who had survived the deadly twin earthquakes in La Guaira.

Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry said that at least 20 Ecuadorians remain missing in the aftermath of the June 24 earthquakes. “We are in contact with officials and rescue workers and are making every effort to reconnect families who have relatives in Caracas and La Guaira,” the ministry said.

As of Monday, more than 2,500 have been confirmed dead in the earthquakes with another 12,000 listed as injured. Government officials say they expect the final death toll to be above 10,000.

An estimated 300,000 Ecuadorian nationals live in Venezuela.

Gov’t warns of high fire risk
Ecuador’s Environmental Ministry is warning communities in the sierra to prepare for “conditions of extreme fire risk.” The ministry said the traditional dry season in the Andes will be “significantly aggravated” by the developing El Niño. “Residents living at elevations above 1,600 meters should understand that the fire danger will be extreme due to an extended period of drought accompanied with high winds,” the ministry said.

Although the ministry says the highest fire risk will be from July to November, the National Meteorology Institute says dry conditions will continue into early 2027. “We expect the full impact of the El Niño phenomenon to be felt at the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027,” the institute said. “For the sierra and inter-mountain valley, we expect windy and dry conditions to be prevalent for several months.”

The Environmental Ministry said it is launching a regional campaign to inform the population of the sierra about preventing and controlling wildfires.