QUITO, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's winter storms have claimed 49 lives and impacted more than 189,000 people this year, the National Secretariat for Risk Management said Tuesday.
As of Tuesday, heavy rains have left 134 people injured, 44,926 people homeless, and some 799 homes destroyed across the South American country, according to the latest assessment of damage.
Since the start of this year, rains have caused 3,170 adverse events in all 24 provinces, primarily landslides, mudslides and flooding, said the agency.
Rains have hit the coastal region hardest, especially the western province of Manabi, where 10 fatalities have been reported and as many as 89,839 people have been affected.
Due to the extent of rain, the agency expanded "the regional emergency" in late April from eight to 12 provinces.
The measure was extended for another 60 days to mobilize funds and deploy additional personnel to address the winter devastation in the Southern Hemisphere.
During this rainy season, the agency has set up 37 temporary shelters to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced residents. ■
