Mudslide in Colombia kills 14, injures 35
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Heavy rains continue to claim the lives of people as the climate crisis intensifies.
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Dozens killed by a massive mudslide in Colombia
At least 14 people died and 34 were injured in a mudslide caused by heavy rains in Colombia on Tuesday, the national disaster agency said.
A landslide was triggered by the early morning rains on a mountain in central-western Risaralda Province, burying several homes in the impoverished municipality of Dosquebradas.
"We have counted 14 people who died and 34 injured in the mudslide,” said local official Carlos Maya.
According to the National Unit for Management of Risks and Disasters, rescue teams rushed to the scene and dug through the mud looking for survivors.
Rescue operations underway after Colombia mudslide https://t.co/rBWVsOK7DM
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"A very loud noise scared us. We went out and saw a piece of the mountain on top of the houses," taxi driver Dubernei Hernandez, 42, told AFP.
"I went to that place and it was a disaster, with people trapped."
Hernandez said he helped dig up two bodies and a survivor, pointing out that at least five homes were buried by the mud.
The disaster agency published a photograph showing a gap in the lush green vegetation as a result of the mudslide.
New mudslides are feared especially that they could result in the nearby Otun River being dammed, which would only exacerbate the disaster.
Several families living close to the river were evacuated due to the risk of flooding.
"We are currently managing the entire evacuation perimeter because we still detect soil instability," Alvaro Arias, government secretary in Risaralda, told Blu Radio.
