According to officials, the number of fatalities in a mudslide that occurred in western Colombia has increased to 34.
On Friday, a mudslide occurred on a heavily-traveled road in a hilly region that links Quibdó and Medellín.
The initial statement from the national disaster risk management unit reported 18 fatalities and confirmed that 35 injured individuals were transported to hospitals.
The governor’s office in Chocó reported a new count of fatalities on Saturday. A joint command center was set up to manage efforts for finding and rescuing those missing. According to a statement, 17 bodies have been positively identified, and authorities are working on identifying an additional 17. The prosecutor’s office has verified the number of deaths.
Previously, in a post on the online platform X, Vice President of Colombia Francia Márquez stated that efforts were ongoing to find individuals who are still stuck beneath the landslide. She mentioned that there were casualties, including children, but did not specify the exact number.
The risk management team did not specify the cause of the mudslide, but the defense department stated on Friday evening that heavy rain in the region had made rescue efforts challenging.
A video shared on X purportedly captured the occurrence of a mudslide, where a section of a mountain shifted onto a highway and buried several cars. The validity of the footage could not be confirmed by the Associated Press.
On Friday, President Gustavo Petro stated on Twitter that his administration will offer any necessary assistance in what he referred to as a “terrible disaster”.
Source: theguardian.com
