Colombia Mudslide Triggered by Heavy Rain Kills at Least 14 People, Injures 35
Heavy rain caused a mudslide in Western Colombia near the city of Pereira on Tuesday. It ended up flowing at the residential area killing at least 14 people and injuring 35.
Officials noted that more mudslides could happen around the area, advising locals to remain alert, according to a Weather news report.
Mudslide damages are considered to be "pretty common" in Colombia due to the rainy weather in the area and less sturdy buildings.
In addition, dozens of residents were evacuated when a nearby area was flooded resulting from heavy rains.
Officials said that one person was reported missing after the deadly Colombia mudslide.
Many of the affected houses in the neighborhood were made of wooden construction, with more than 60 homes evacuated as teams assessed the damage and risks.
Pereira Mayor Carlos Maya said 15 homes in Dosquebradas were also evacuated to "minimize" the threat of future landslides, according to a DW News report.
Alvaro Arias, government secretary in Risaralda, said that they are currently managing the whole evacuation perimeter as they still detect soil instability.
Rescue teams noted that they are scared that the disaster could worsen if new mudslides occur in the nearby Otun river, currently being dammed.
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Colombia Mudslide
Taxi driver Dubernei Hernandez noted that there was a very loud noise that scared them, adding that they went out and saw that a piece of the mountain was on top of the houses, according to a BBC News report.
Hernandez said that he went to that place and saw that it was a disaster with people trapped inside.
He said that he helped dig up two bodies and a survivor. The taxi driver noted that at least five homes were buried by the mud.
In November, another Colombia mudslide struck the western Narino province, killing 11 people.
The South American country's disaster relief agency said at the time that at least 10 people were also injured, with around 15 and 20 people believed to be missing, according to an Aljazeera report.
The November mudslide destroyed two buildings at the time.
UNGRD director Eduardo Jose Gonzalez ordered a search and rescue team to be deployed to the site.
In 2017, Colombia recorded its most deadly landslide in history, with the death toll reported to be at 254, while 203 people were injured at the time. Many of the injured were in critical condition.
About 1,100 soldiers and police arrived to help the relief effort at the time, while the list of children who could not find their parents was spread on social media in attempts to reunite them with their families, The Guardian reported.
One unidentified woman interviewed said she had lost 11 family members in the mudslide, including her mother. Five of her loved ones were identified in the morgue, while the other six were missing at the time.
More than 1,000 emergency personnel were deployed to help the rescue efforts, including soldiers and local police.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Colombia landslide: More mudslides and flooding feared - from Al Jazeera English