Dramatic landslide kills 18 and injures 30 in Colombia
Steph Deschamps / January 15, 2024
The road linking the city of Medellin to Quibdo, in the department of Choco, was temporarily closed after being damaged by several landslides, an official from the department's governor's office told AFP.
On the same road, near the municipality of Carmen de Atrato, "many people" got out of their vehicles to "take refuge in a house that was "unfortunately" buried by a landslide, said the same source, who reported "18 dead ».
The vice-president, Francia Marquez, said on X that the event had left "around" 30 people injured.
Jaime Herrera, the mayor of Carmen de Atrato, told local TV station Caracol that some people were "seriously injured" while others were still trapped underground, without giving any figures.
Images posted on social networks and TV channels showed cars destroyed by mud and landslides.
The department of Choco, which borders the Pacific Ocean and is home to a vast rainforest, has been hit by heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours.
While Colombia is experiencing a drought, the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) had previously warned of the risk of heavy rain in several departments bordering the Pacific and the Amazon.
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