Houses in 17 neighbourhoods 'erased' as landslide in Colombia kills scores

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This was published 6 years ago

Houses in 17 neighbourhoods 'erased' as landslide in Colombia kills scores

Updated

Bogota: Flooding and mudslides in the Colombian city of Mocoa sent torrents of water and debris crashing onto houses overnight, killing 254 people, injuring hundreds and sending terrified residents fleeing.

Heavy rains caused several rivers to overflow, pushing sediment and rocks onto buildings and roads in the capital of southwestern Putumayo province and immobilising cars in mud in the early hours of Saturday.

Soldiers rescue a child in Mocoa, Colombia.

Soldiers rescue a child in Mocoa, Colombia.Credit: AP

"It was torrential rainstorm, it got really strong between 11pm and 1am," said local resident Mario Usale, 42, who was looking for his father-in-law in the debris.

"My mother-in-law was also missing, but we found her alive two kilometres away. She has head injuries, but she was conscious."

An aerial view of a portion of Mocoa, Colombia on Saturday after an avalanche of water swept through the city as people slept.

An aerial view of a portion of Mocoa, Colombia on Saturday after an avalanche of water swept through the city as people slept.Credit: Colombian Presidential Press Office

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos flew to Mocoa, population 345,000, to oversee rescue efforts on the city outskirts and speak with affected families.

"We will do everything possible to help them," Santos said after confirming the death toll.

"It breaks my heart."

Officials were working to determine the number of missing, Santos said. Nearly 200 people were injured, the defence ministry said, and more than 1100 soldiers and police officers were called in to dig people out.

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The sea of mud in Mocoa, near Colombia's border with Ecuador, on Saturday.

The sea of mud in Mocoa, near Colombia's border with Ecuador, on Saturday.Credit: AP

"We have sent a team of 150 people to make our response effective and machinery began work immediately," Carlos Ivan Marquez, head of the national disaster unit, said in a statement.

Even in a country where heavy rains, a mountainous landscape and informal construction of homes combine to make landslides a common occurrence, the scale of the Mocoa disaster was daunting. By comparison, a 2015 landslide killed nearly 80 people in Salgar, Antioquia.

Locals work alongside soldiers to rescue the injured.

Locals work alongside soldiers to rescue the injured.Credit: AP

"It's a big area," Mocoa Mayor Jose Antonio Castro, who lost his house, told Caracol radio on Saturday. "A big portion of the many houses were just taken by the avalanche."

He said that people were warned ahead of time and many were able to get out, but several neighbourhoods and two bridges had been destroyed.

Eduardo Vargas was awoken by the sound of neighbours banging on his door and quickly fled with his family amid the sound of people crying in panic. They climbed up a small mountain to safety before their home destroyed.

Returning to the site on Saturday, he said there is, "Nothing left. But thank God we have our lives."

President Juan Manuel Santos has declared a state of emergency in Mocoa, located along Colombia's southern border with Ecuador.

Minister of Interior Juan Manuel Cristo says in the middle of the night "families, boys, girls, young people, the elderly" were killed when three rivers overflowed.

The incident happened around midnight, as many residents were in their homes sleeping. Witnesses felt buildings vibrate before an avalanche of water carrying mud and debris swept through, toppling homes and lifting trucks downstream.

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Photos posted on Twitter by the air force showed neighbourhood streets filled with mud and damaged houses, while videos on social media showed residents searching for survivors in the debris and struggling to move through waist-high water during the night.

Reuters, AP

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