Tortuga Bay beach on Santa Cruz island, Galápagos (illustrative)

Galápagos: Ecuador sends a second humanitarian flight with 7.6 tonnes of aid for flooded Santa Cruz as authorities close nine beaches and visitor sites on three islands

November 2, 2026 3 Min Read

Ecuador sent a second humanitarian flight to the Galápagos Islands on Sunday, November 1, as the archipelago dealt with the aftermath of the floods that hit Santa Cruz island at the end of last week. At the same time, the Environment Ministry ordered temporary restrictions on nine beaches and visitor sites on three islands while their safety is assessed.

An Air Force C-130 Hercules was scheduled to take off at around 15:00 from the Simón Bolívar Air Base in Guayaquil carrying 7.6 tonnes of aid, including water kits, food, clothing, medicines, mattresses and pumps to remove standing water, according to El Universo. A first flight on Saturday, October 31, carried about 10 tonnes of medicines, food, suction pumps and clothing kits, according to the national risk management secretariat.

The response on the ground

The Navy moved 35 personnel from San Cristóbal to Santa Cruz to support affected communities. By 17:00 on Saturday, more than 85 people had received medical care at a temporary shelter set up in the covered coliseum of the Galápagos Government Council; three were taken to the República del Ecuador hospital, two of whom were later discharged while the third remained under observation in stable condition. The national emergency committee (COE) identified five shelters with a combined capacity of 1,000 people, and the cantonal COE declared an emergency in Santa Cruz.

The rain lasted about 15 hours, El Universo reported, and in some areas water reached waist height, forcing residents to leave their homes. First Lady Lavinia Valbonesi travelled to the islands and said she had come “to listen to and accompany all the affected families”. The government also urged tourism businesses in Galápagos to keep their safety plans active.

Nine sites closed

The Ministry of Environment and Energy ordered the restrictions as a temporary, preventive measure, and the Galápagos National Park Directorate applied them: six sites on Saturday afternoon and three more on Sunday. No end date has been announced. The affected sites are:

Santa Cruz: El Garrapatero beach, Las Grietas, Puntudo and El Chato.
San Cristóbal: Playa Baquerizo, Punta Carola, La Lobería and Puerto Chino beaches.
Isabela: Los Humedales (the wetlands).

Up to the time of publication, the ministry had not reported deaths of giant tortoises or wild birds because of the rain, and said the tortoises and facilities at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre were unaffected. Park rangers are patrolling protected areas to detect damage to wildlife and ecosystems.

Confirmed and pending

Confirmed: two aid flights, the deployment of Navy personnel, the nine site closures and the emergency declaration in Santa Cruz.
Pending: an updated official casualty count. Reports on Saturday, including from Anadolu Agency, put the toll at one dead and two missing on Santa Cruz; the sources consulted on Monday did not give a new official figure, and higher numbers circulating in some outlets have not been confirmed by authorities.
Weather: Inamhi’s warning No. 85 included Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal among the areas at risk of storms on Sunday night and early Monday.

Sources

Featured image: Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz island, photographed by Vincent Croos on Unsplash (Unsplash License). Illustrative image taken before the floods.

Celina Santa Cruz · Ecuador · Virtual editorial byline
English adaptation: Lin Wei · Editorial direction: Leonidas Ferraz · November 2, 2026 · AI-assisted writing