Deadly Mudslides In Colombia Kill More Than 200

MEP: Heavy rains triggered deadly mudslides in Colombia’s Putumayo province in which more than 200 people were killed late Friday, authorities said Saturday.

Heavy overnight rainfall caused several rivers to overflow their banks, sending mud and debris crashing onto houses as people slept and sweeping away vehicles and trees.

An army statement said there were at least 400 injured and 200 still missing in the capital of Putumayo province.

More than 1,100 soldiers and police officers were called in to help dig people out in 17 affected neighborhoods.

A list of missing children’s names and ages was compiled and pinned to the walls of a family welfare unit in the town, where distraught family members arrived in shock and desperation.

The incident triggered by a sudden, heavy rainstorm happened around midnight and into early Saturday in Mocoa, a provincial capital of about 40,000 tucked between mountains near Colombia’s southern border with Ecuador.

Muddy water quickly surged through the city’s streets, toppling homes, ripping trees from their roots and carrying a torrent of rocks and debris downstream. Many residents did not have enough time to flee.

Eduardo Vargas, 29, was asleep with his wife and 7-month-old baby when he was awoken by the sound of neighbours banging on his door. He quickly grabbed his family and fled up a small mountain amid the cries of people in panic.

“There was no time for anything,” he said.

President Juan Manuel Santos told reporters at the scene it was impossible to predict the number of deaths.

“Unfortunately, it is possible that the number of deaths will go up because we have a lot of missing people,” Santos said on local TV channel Cable Noticias.

“We don’t know yet where they are. Many people are coming to us saying, ‘My son is missing, my father is missing, my mother is missing.’ We are working on putting a list for the total number of people missing.”