15 perish as mudslide hits hotel in Peru

LIMA, Jan 28 (AFP): An avalanche of mud and rocks crashed into a hotel during a wedding celebration in southeastern Peru, killing at least 15 people, authorities said on Sunday.

"The avalanche broke through the walls of the hotel, entering it with force," the mayor of the city of Abancay, where the hotel is located, told RPP radio.

The mayor, Evaristo Ramos, said about 100 guests had been invited to the wedding party Saturday and "there are 15 dead and 34 injured."

Firefighters, police and residents worked through the night to rescue people still trapped under rubble.

Authorities said the Alhambra hotel was built very close to a hillside. A retaining wall collapsed, and the mudslide brought the hotel roof down on the party-goers below, they said.

People searching for missing relatives were urged to visit surrounding health centers to find and identify their loved ones.