Rescue teams have located and recovered the body of one of two people swept away by a sudden surge in the Machay River, in the Río Verde parish of Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador.
Search, location and rescue efforts resumed around 8 a.m. on Monday, August 10, a day after the river's flow rose suddenly on Sunday.
Body found among rocks
The technical committee led by Ecuador's National Risk Management Service and the Baños de Agua Santa municipal government reported the recovery of a male body in the Machay sector on Monday afternoon.
Video footage showed personnel from the National Police's Emergency Operations Group, along with fire departments from Baños de Agua Santa and Riobamba, searching among rocks and vegetation along the river. The body was found on large rocks and recovered nearly 24 hours after the incident.
Search continues for second victim
Response teams are continuing to search for a second person reported missing, and the operation remains active in the area. A unified command post has been set up at the Río Negro parish council, coordinating the response since Sunday.
Ecuador's emergency response agency ECU911 reported that twelve people were rescued to safety when the sudden surge struck, three of them injured.
