Avalanche's wrath: Death toll soars to 29 in Central Colombia
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Triggered by heavy rains, the avalanche unleashed its fury on the community, claiming the lives of 29 people, including five innocent children.
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Members of the Corpo Nazionale Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico of Aosta Valley search for avalanche survivors above the resort of Courmayeur on Monday, February 4, 2019. (CNSAS/AFP)
Regional fire authorities have reported that the death toll from the avalanche in the Colombian municipality of Quetame has now reached 29.
The final victim's body was recovered on Friday, and the local fire department's captain, Alvaro Farfan, announced this on Twitter. The search and rescue operation has concluded at this point.
Previously, Farfan had stated that the avalanche caused the deaths of 20 individuals, including five children, and left six others injured. Over 60 people were evacuated as a result of the disaster.
It is worth noting that heavy rainfall had caused the water level in local streams to rise, leading to the avalanche that affected more than 25 homes.
In a similar incident, a massive body of snow rolled down the Armancette glacier in Contamines-Montjoie, in the French Alps' Haute-Savoie region, killing four people and two mountain guides last April.
At the time, no avalanche alert was issued for the region by the weather authority Meteo France, and local authorities say a combination of warmth and wind may have been the reason for the disaster.
The Alps are a major vacation spot in French holidays. The France-Bleu radio station put the size of the avalanche at 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) long and 100 meters (328 feet) wide.
