January 13, 2024
Updated 1 hour ago
Image source: Getty Images
The death toll from a landslide in northwestern Colombia has risen to at least 33 people, with most of the victims being children, the vice president says.
Nineteen others were injured and rescue operations are underway.
Landslides had already closed the road between the cities of Medellín and Quibdo, forcing people to abandon their cars and seek shelter in houses, an official said.
Then another landslide occurred, burying them and some of the vehicles.
Colombian President Gustavo Preto has pledged “all available assistance” to the Choco region.
The landslide occurred near the municipality of Carmen de Atrato, a local official said.
Up to 60 people sought shelter near an intersection. The house was full of women and small children, a man who survived the ordeal told local media.
He decided to speak anonymously to the newspaper El Tiempo and said those who came to the building because of the heavy rain were offered sausage and fried plantains.
But then the landslide swept over the house and surrounding cars within seconds.
Vice President Francia Márquez Mina said in a post
The tragedy has shocked the South American country, with widespread media coverage and many expressing shock and condolences on social media.
The area in Choco province, which borders the Pacific Ocean, is heavily forested and was hit by heavy rains on Friday and Saturday.
The local mayor said Saturday that some people were still trapped by the rubble.
Images on social media and television channels showed cars destroyed and partially buried in mud and fallen rocks.
As Colombia is currently experiencing a period of drought, the country's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies has previously warned of the danger posed by heavy rains in areas bordering the Pacific and the Amazon rainforest.