A mudslide in Colombia has killed at least 18 people in what the South American country’s president has called a “horrible tragedy”.
Colombia’s National Disaster Risk Management Unit said the avalanche covered a highway on a busy municipal road in a mountainous area connecting the cities of Quibo and Medellin, in the nation's western Choco department.
At least 35 injured people were taken to different hospitals, a statement added, with the search now commencing to try and find people buried under the rubble. Carmen de Atrato mayor Jaime Herrera has said that he believes that some still may be trapped.
The risk management unit didn't specify what could have caused the avalanche, but the Defence Department reported it has been raining in the area, making it difficult for rescue operations.
A video posted on Twitter apparently showed the moment of the mudslide, when the side of a mountain slid over the highway, covering some cars.
Colombia’s W Radio had tweeted: “After an avalanche on Chocó roads that left several dead, injured and missing, the @COL_EJERCITO had trained soldiers to attend to the emergency that occurred.”
Toda la ayuda disponible al Chocó en esta horrible tragedia https://t.co/BxnbwmJhf6
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) January 13, 2024
President Gustavo Petro tweeted in response: “All help available to Chocó in this horrible tragedy.”
People got out of their cars when the mudslide hit the road to "take shelter in a house", an official from the governor's office in Choco department told AFP.
"Unfortunately a landslide came and buried them," the official said.
The country is prone to mudslides with another event killing at least 14 last year while an event in 2017 killed 200.
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