It was on Sunday that the landslides began to be triggered by heavy rains in the Arequipa region.

The governor of the region, Rohel Sánchez, told Canal N television that the situation there is very difficult.

Around 12,000 people have had their houses destroyed or have been affected in other ways.

According to Sánchez, four villages have been hit the hardest.

On slopes near those villages, miners were working who were probably swept away and killed in the landslide.

The authorities in Araquipoa have requested that the government in the capital Lima declare a state of emergency in the region.