Search For Missing After Landslide Kills 14 In Colombia
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published July 18, 2023 | 11:41 PM
Rescue teams with drones searched for survivors Tuesday after a landslide triggered by heavy rains left at least 14 people dead and about a dozen missing in central Colombia, authorities said.
QUETAME, Colombia, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jul, 2023 ) :Rescue teams with drones searched for survivors Tuesday after a landslide triggered by heavy rains left at least 14 people dead and about a dozen missing in central Colombia, authorities said.
Several homes were destroyed and a major trade artery blocked after torrential rains hit the Quetame municipality in Colombia's Cundinamarca department late Monday.
Cundinamarca governor Nicolas Garcia said "14 lifeless bodies have been found" by lunchtime Tuesday, updating the earlier toll of eight.
Six rescued people were taken to hospital, he said in a video on Twitter.
Earlier, regional civil defense director Jorge Diaz told AFP the dead included one child.
Some 20 homes were razed in the deluge.
"It has not been possible to quantify the number of missing persons, but there is talk of 11... We are trying to identify the people who lived in the 20 destroyed houses," said Diaz.
Quetame mayor Camilo Parrado said some households "lost two, three, even four family members.
" Mud was piled a meter high, up to two meters in some places, Parrado told El Dorado Radio, making for a "very complex" search and rescue operation.
"Relief agencies with drones" were involved in the search, said the mayor.
The army announced it was deploying about 80 soldiers to aid in the search effort.
Firefighters have evacuated dozens of survivors.
- Trucks trapped - Diaz said the landslide buried part of a road linking Bogota to the southeast of the country -- one of the country's main freight routes.
It happened near a toll post some 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the capital, and destroyed a bridge.
Large rocks and mud obstructed the road between Bogota and Villavicencio, an AFP reporter observed, with several trucks and motorcycles trapped.
On Twitter, President Gustavo Petro offered his condolences to victims' families and said the disaster demonstrated the need to bolster infrastructure around at-risk areas.
The rainy season in Colombia started in June and usually lasts until November.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Delegation of international investors meets Finance Minister
Federal Govt stands with Balochistan for its development: Naqvi
UAE President receives condolences of Prime Minister of Pakistan over passing of ..
ECC approves to enhance wheat procurement targets
UN urges Israel to 'stop escalation' as tanks enter Gaza's Rafah city
EU stumps up $125 mn for Yemen after aid groups' plea
Governor Tessori condemns May 9 riots, calls it a 'pre-planned conspiracy'
PM condoles with UAE President over Sheikh Tahnoun’s death
Milan nets Giro 4th stage, Pogacar retains lead
UBS back in profit after Credit Suisse takeover losses
Asiya Gul lauds Shafaat's services as DG LG
President for dialogue with all political forces in Balochistan
More Stories From World
-
Slovakia records 1,100 bomb threats in a day, launches terror probe
1 hour ago -
Football: UEFA Champions League result
1 hour ago -
Equipment of Pakistani peacekeepers begins to move out as UN mission to D.R. Congo ends
2 hours ago -
Ramos joins Mbappe and Dembele in PSG attack against Dortmund
3 hours ago -
Paris Saint-Germain v Borussia Dortmund Champions League starting line-ups
3 hours ago -
Saudi transportation, logistic sector ready for smooth Hajj pilgrimage
3 hours ago
-
Italy PM Meloni signs cooperation deals in Libya visit
3 hours ago -
Brazilians queue for precious water as flood damage intensifies
3 hours ago -
UAE President receives condolences of Prime Minister of Pakistan over passing of Tahnoun bin Mohamme ..
4 hours ago -
UN urges Israel to 'stop escalation' as tanks enter Gaza's Rafah city
4 hours ago -
EU stumps up $125 mn for Yemen after aid groups' plea
4 hours ago -
China voices serious concern over Israel's plan to launch military operation against Rafah
6 hours ago