Heavy rains caused several rivers to overflow, pushing sediment and rocks onto buildings and roads in the Colombian city
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Mocoa: Flooding and mudslides in the Colombian city of Mocoa sent torrents of water and debris crashing onto houses in the early hours of Saturday morning, killing 234 people, injuring hundreds and sending terrified residents, some in their pyjamas, scrambling to evacuate.
Heavy rains caused several rivers to overflow, pushing sediment and rocks onto buildings and roads in the capital of southwestern Putumayo province and immobilizing cars in several feet of mud.
Rescuers seek people among the rubble left by mudslides. Pics/AFP
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos flew to Mocoa, population 3,45,000, 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."
Santos gave a lower death toll of 193 via Twitter. Even in a country where heavy rains, a mountainous landscape and informal construction of homes combine to make mud and landslides a common occurrence, the scale of the Mocoa disaster was daunting compared to recent tragedies, like a 2015 landslide that killed nearly 80 people in Salgar, Antioquia. Colombia’s deadliest landslide, the 1985 Armero disaster, left more than 20,000 dead.
Mocoa Mayor Jose Antonio Castro said that people were warned ahead of time and many were able to get out, but several neighborhoods and two bridges had been destroyed. Weather authorities said light rains were expected in the area on Saturday night and Sunday.
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