Colombia National Police rescue officers walk at an area affected by a landslide which left several casualties and other injured, in Quetame, Colombia, July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Santiago Molina
BOGOTA—A landslide caused by heavy rains in a mountainous region of central Colombia killed at least 12 people on Tuesday and destroyed several houses, the country’s Civil Defense agency said.
The landslide took place in Quetame, a rural municipality in Cundinamarca province, destroying all in its path and leading to the closure of a major highway, Civil Defense operational director Ricardo Coronado said in a phone interview.
“So far we have recovered 12 bodies, with two children among the fatalities,” Coronado said.
Rescuer teams from the Civil Defense, the Red Cross, firefighters and members of the military continue to search for the missing among the mud and rubble.
The avalanche closed a highway connecting capital Bogota with Villavicencio, the capital of Meta province, an important region for agriculture.
Landslides are common in Colombia due to the mountainous terrain, frequent heavy rains and informal construction of houses.
The country’s most recent large landslide killed over 320 people in the city of Mocoa, in Putumayo province, in 2017.
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