Tragedy as Colombia mudslide kills 33 people with dozens more left injured
At least 33 people have died and dozens have been injured due to a mudslide in western Colombia, officials in the South American country have said.
The National Disaster Risk Management Unit said in a statement the avalanche covered a highway on a busy municipal road in a mountainous area connecting the cities of Quibo and Medellin, in western Colombia. At least 35 injured people were taken to different hospitals, it said.
Authorities announced they would start a search operation for missing people potentially still buried under the debris, the statement said. The risk management unit didn't specify what could have caused the avalanche, but the Defense Department reported it has been raining in the area, making it difficult for rescue operations.
A video posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, apparently showed the moment of the mudslide, when the side of a mountain slid over the highway, covering some cars. President Gustavo Petro tweeted that his government would provide all support needed in what he described as a "horrible tragedy".
Colombian President Gustavo Preto pledged "all help available" to the Chocó region following the landslide. The country's vice-president, Francia Márquez, said search and rescue operations are continuing. She posted on X: "At this time, search and rescue actions continue for the people who remain trapped under the landslide on the Quibdó-Medellín highway, in Carmen del Atrato.
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Soldiers and rescue workers at the scene of the landslide (COLOMBIAN MILITARY FORCES HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)"I deeply regret the death of 33 people in this tragedy, mostly girls and boys, according to preliminary reports from the territory. All our solidarity with the department of Chocó and the families of the victims. Relief agencies, National Government, @UNGRD, local authorities, @PoliciaChoco and @COL_EJERCITO continue in the area to overcome this emergency that today fills us with sadness."
Carmen de Atrato's mayor, Jaime Herrera, said some victims were seriously injured, adding that others were still trapped under the landslide. However, he did not specify the exact number of casualties.
A damaged vehicle amidst debris in the area where a landslide occurred (CHOCO DEPARTMENT GOVERNMENT HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)An official from the governor's office said "many people" left their vehicles to take shelter in a house near Carmen de Atrato. But he added: "Unfortunately a landslide came and buried them."
Colombia is currently going through a period of drought. However, the country's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies previously warned that heavy rains pose dangers in areas bordering the Pacific and the Amazon rainforest.
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