Landslide kills 8 people in Colombia
A landslide triggered by heavy rains left at least eight people dead and some 20 missing in central Colombia overnight, authorities said Tuesday.
The dead included two children, civil defence director Jorge Diaz told Noticias Caracol TV.
He said the disaster happened on a road linking Bogota to the southeast of the country near the town of Puente Quetame in the Cundinamarca department.
The Cundinamarca fire department put the estimated number of missing people at 20 after torrential rains hit the region on Monday afternoon, continuing into the night.
The landslide occurred near a toll post some 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the capital.
Firefighters evacuated dozens of survivors, six of whom were taken to hospital.
“We also have 20 houses totally destroyed,” said Diaz. “There is talk of between 11 and 20 people missing.”
Footage broadcast on Caracol showed large stones and mud obstructing the road between Bogota and Villavicencio, one of the country’s main freight routes.
Several vehicles are seen trapped in mud.
On Twitter, President Gustavo Petro offered his “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the victims.
AFP
