Azuay's Rainy Season Has Now Claimed Four Lives This Year

Azuay's rainy season is no longer just a messy-road story. It has now turned deadly four times this year.

A woman died on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 on the Cuenca-Giron-Pasaje road after she and a motorcycle driver tried to cross a landslide at kilometer 89, near Pachamama.

A rock fell from the side of the road and hit her head. She was wearing a helmet, but the impact was severe, and she died while being transported to the Santa Isabel Hospital. The motorcycle driver, also 40, was injured.

Why This Matters Around Cuenca

Azuay has now recorded four winter-related deaths this year: three in landslides and one in an alluvium.

Since January 1, officials have counted 164 rain-related adverse events affecting 11 cantons. The recurring problems include landslides, flooding, hail, intense rain, ground sinking, water erosion and alluviums.

That matters if you are driving between Cuenca and coastal routes, visiting rural cantons, or relying on mountain roads that look passable right up until they are not.

The Practical Takeaway

If a road is blocked by mud or rockfall, do not treat it like a normal bad-weather inconvenience. The latest fatality happened while people were trying to cross a landslide.

For expats, this is the day to be conservative with road plans: check route status, avoid forcing a crossing, and give Azuay's mountain roads more time than they seem to need after heavy rain.