At least 206 people were killed and hundreds were injured or missing after destroying mudslides demolished homes in southern Colombia. This was caused due to the floods that have struck the Pacific side of South America over recent months, also killing scores of people in Peru and Ecuador.
Colombian town of Mocoa saw swept away houses, bridges, vehicles and trees. This left huge piles of wrecked wood and brown mud. The mudslides struck the city late Friday. This happened after torrential rain poured over the town of 40,000.
Colombian Red Cross chief Cesar Uruena told, "The latest information we have is that there are 206 people confirmed dead, 202 injured, 220 missing, 17 neighbourhoods hit hard."
President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos visited the city. He declared safety emergency to speed up rescue processes. Carlos Ivan Marquez, director of the National Disaster Risk Management Unit, told AFP the mudslides were caused by the rise of the Mocoa River and tributaries.
The rivers flooded causing a "big avalanche," the army said in a statement.
Some 130 millimeters of rain fell Friday night, Santos said. "That means 30 per cent of monthly rainfall fell on last night, which precipitated a sudden rise of several rivers," he said.
He promised earlier on Twitter to "guarantee assistance to the victims of this tragedy, which has Colombians in mourning."
"Our prayers are with the victims and those affected," he added.
The authorities activated a crisis group including local officials, military personnel, police and rescuers to search for missing people and begin removing mountains of debris, Marquez said.
A thousand emergency personnel were helping the rescue effort. Mocoa was left without power or running water; there were reports of some looting in efforts to get water.
Image Credit: AFP
Originally Published in Times Of India
