17 killed, 13 missing after mudslide in Colombia
The mudslide has been attributed to heavy rain that has battered the country for several weeks.
Rescue workers search for victims after a landslide in Rosas, Valle del Cauca department, in southwestern Colombia, on April 21, 2019. -(Photo by LUIS ROBAYO / AFP)
At least 17 people were killed and 13 others were missing after a mudslide buried eight houses early on Sunday in southwestern Colombia, authorities said.
The national risk management agency gave the updated toll after rescue efforts in Rosas, in the department of Cauca, were halted at nightfall.
Reducing by two an earlier toll of 19 killed that was given by firefighters, it added that five people had also been injured.
Meanwhile, the estimated number of missing was confirmed by an agency official speaking on condition of anonymity.
A search had been underway for people who might be trapped under rubble. The injured were treated at hospitals near the scene of the disaster, the agency said.
It attributed the mudslide to heavy rain that has battered the country for several weeks.
Mudslides are common during Colombia’s rainy season.
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