Mudslides in southern Colombia kill at least 16, hundreds missing

Mudslides in southern Colombia have claimed at least 16 lives and injured some 65 people following recent torrential rains, the authorities said.

Governor Sorrel Aroca of the Putumayo department called the development “an unprecedented tragedy,” telling W Radio there were “hundreds of families we have not yet found, and whole neighborhoods missing.”

Carlos Ivan Marquez, director of the National Disaster Risk Management Unit, told AFP that while “initially we are talking about 16 deaths,” further fatalities were possible.

The mudslides late Friday were caused by the rise of the Mocoa River and three tributaries, he said.

President Juan Manuel Santos said he would travel to Mocoa, the Putumayo capital, to supervise rescue and

assistance efforts in the heavily forested region.

His presence would “guarantee attention to the victims of this tragedy, which has all Colombians in mourning,” he said in a Twitter message.

The authorities activated a crisis group including local officials, military units, police and rescue teams to organize the search for missing people and to begin removing hundreds of tons of debris, Marquez said.