Agency Report

At least seven people died and 29 were injured in a mudslide provoked by heavy rains in central-western Colombia on Tuesday, the national disaster body said.

The early morning rains triggered a landslide on a mountain in Risaralda province that buried several homes in the municipality of Dosquebradas.

“For now … there are reports of 29 people injured and unfortunately seven deaths,” the state National Unit for the Management of Risks and Disasters said on Twitter.

Rescue teams continued digging through the mud looking for survivors, the Unity said.

The Unit published a photograph showing the gap in the lush green vegetation caused by the mudslide.

It did not say how many homes were affected.

Rescue teams said they feared that new mudslides could result in the nearby Otun river being dammed, which would worsen the disaster.

“We are currently managing the entire evacuation perimeter because we still detect soil instability,” Alvaro Arias, government secretary in Risaralda, told Blu Radio.

AFP