Current:Home > NewsColombia landslide kills at least 33, officials say -PrimeWealth Guides
Colombia landslide kills at least 33, officials say
View
Date:2025-04-13 09:30:09
At least 33 people were killed in a landslide in an indigenous community in northwestern Colombia, the country's vice president said Saturday.
Rescuers slogging through deep mud were rushing against the clock in hopes of finding survivors in the rubble.
Vice President Francia Marquez wrote on social media Saturday that at least 33 people were killed and 19 others injured. She said it appeared that about 80 people in total were affected by the landslide.
Earlier, officials had put the toll in Friday's landslide, which hit a road linking the cities of Medellin and Quibdo in Choco department, at 23 dead and 20 injured.
"All the help available (is being sent) to Choco in this horrible tragedy," President Gustavo Petro said on social media Friday.
Authorities in Medellin said that, as of early Saturday, 17 bodies had been transported there and that forensic examiners had identified three of them. No names were released.
With several road closures, rescue crews and firefighters struggled to reach the hardest-hit area, and one official told AFP there had been a request for helicopters to help.
"Since last night, we have been working hand-in-hand with emergency and relief organizations on the Quibdo-Medellin road," the police said. "We deployed all our capabilities to rescue and help those affected."
About 50 soldiers also arrived to assist, and images released by the army showed mud-covered men struggling through swampy terrain.
The landslide in Choco, which lies on the Pacific Ocean and is home to a vast tropical forest, followed more than 24 hours of intense rain.
A local official told AFP that many travelers, blocked by an earlier landslide Friday, had left their cars to take shelter in a house near the municipality of Carmen de Atrato.
"But unfortunately an avalanche came and buried them," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Images shared on social networks and on television channels showed part of a mountain breaking loose and crashing down onto a line of cars, while screams are heard.
A landslide in the same part of Colombia in December 2022 killed at least 27 people, trapping people in a bus and other vehicles.
While much of Colombia is suffering a period of drought, the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies has warned of the risk of heavy rains in the Amazon and in several departments bordering the Pacific.
- In:
- Colombia
- Landslide
veryGood! (1)
Related
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Inside Critics Choice: Emma Stone's heart-to-heart, Bradley Cooper sings happy birthday
- EU presidency warns democracy will be put to the test in US elections in November
- Woman's body, wreckage found after plane crashes into ocean in Half Moon Bay, California
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Tokyo Governor Koike asked to stop $2.45 billion plan to remake park, famous baseball stadium
- Poland’s crucial local elections will be held in April, newly appointed prime minister says
- Why Melanie Lynskey Didn't Attend the 2023 Emmy Awards
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- 150M under weather alerts, 6 dead as 'dangerous cold' has US in its clutches: Live updates
Ranking
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Africa’s biggest oil refinery begins production in Nigeria with the aim of reducing need for imports
- Cheers These Epic 2023 Emmy Awards Cast Reunions
- Rob McElhenney watches Eagles game on his phone during the Emmys
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Bernardo Arévalo faces huge challenges after finally being sworn in as Guatemala’s president
- Horoscopes Today, January 14, 2024
- Niecy Nash's Relationship Advice Proves Her Marriage to Jessica Betts Is Spicy as Ever
Recommendation
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
Korean Air plane bumps parked Cathay Pacific aircraft at a Japanese airport but no injuries reported
Shannen Doherty talks about her 'impactful' cancer battle, wants funeral to be 'love fest'
Reports: Arizona hires San Jose State coach Brent Brennan as the successor to Jedd Fisch
Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
What's open and closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
What is so special about Stanley cups? The psychology behind the year's thirstiest obsession
Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state confronts flood damage after heavy rain kills at least 12