At least 127 people are dead after an “avalanche of water” engulfed the Colombian city of Mocoa, the country’s president says.
Hours of heavy rain caused several rivers to overflow and sent mud and sediment onto houses and roads in the city of about 350,000 people, authorities said.
Carlos Ivan Marquez, from Colombia’s national disaster agency, said the river flooded around midnight on Friday/Saturday, destroying homes and killing many people in their sleep.
Witnesses said they had felt buildings vibrate as the flood began but there had been little time to escape.
Emergency workers and the country’s military have been helping the rescue efforts in the city, which sits near Colombia’s border with Ecuador.
Police commander Colonel Omar Bonilla told local radio station Caracol: “At this time we have removed 93 bodies – we have adults, women and infants.”
Officials said more than 400 people have been injured but Herman Granados, a surgeon at the local hospital, said he believed the injury toll would likely pass 300 and that doctors were running out of blood to help treat patients.
He said: “Under the mud, I am sure there are many more (people).
Mocoa’s mayor Jose Antonio Castro said: “A big portion of the many houses were just taken by the avalanche, but above all the people were warned with enough time and they were able to get out, but houses in 17 neighbourhoods have basically been erased.
“The figures have been going up and in the crisis room they kept reporting more dead, we hope to God that it won’t go up too much because it is very sad.”
More than 220 people were said to be missing according to the Red cross
The force of the muddy water destroyed at least two bridges, ripped trees from their roots and lifted cars, carrying them downstream.
(Sky News)
