At least a dozen homes were swept away as mud and rocks crashed into the village of El Porvenir in the province of San Martin. 

 

The provincial² mayor, Ronald Garcia, said at least five children were among the dead and that whole families were unaccounted for（下落不明的）.

 

Heavy rain in the area has triggered several landslides³ in recent weeks.

 

"It's a jungle area, next to the village passes a river, houses were on the edge of ejection of this ravine, and the flood swept through those that were there," the head of the National Civil Defence Institute (Indeci), Alfredo Murgueytio, told Peruvian radio.

 

Mr Garcia said some of the missing people may have fled into the hills to save their lives.

 

"Whole families are missing," said Mr Garcia. More than 80 families live in the village, he said.

 

El Porvenir residents are mostly coffee farmers, officials said.

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