Colombia landslide leaves over 100 dead in Putumayo province

Heavy rains cause several rivers to overflow, pushing sediment on to buildings and roads in provincial capital of Mocoa

A landslide in Colombia’s south-western border province of Putumayo has sent mud and debris crashing on to houses, killing at least 100 people and injuring at least 120, officials have said.

Heavy rains caused several rivers to overflow, pushing sediment on to buildings and roads in the provincial capital of Mocoa overnight.

“At this time we have removed 93 bodies. We have adults, women and infants,” police commander Colonel Omar Bonilla told Caracol, a radio station, on Saturday.

President Juan Manuel Santos said later, after arriving in Mocoa and declaring a state of emergency: “It has just been reported to me that we have 112 people dead. We will keep looking.”

“We have sent a team of 150 people to make our response effective and machinery began work immediately,” Carlos Ivan Marquez, head of the disaster response unit, said in a statement. “We will be with the governor and the mayor giving all necessary attention.”

Photos posted on Twitter by the air force showed streets filled with mud and damaged houses, while videos posted on social media showed residents searching for survivors in the debris.

“It’s a big area,” Mocoa’s mayor, José Antonio Castro, told Caracol. “A big portion of the many houses were just taken by the avalanche, but above all the people were warned with enough time and they were able to get out but houses in 17 neighbourhoods have basically been erased.” Two bridges also were destroyed, Castro said.

Heavy rains and a mountainous landscape regularly cause landslides in the Andean country.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/01/colombia-landslide-mocoa-putumayo-heavy-rains#img-1