At least six people including four children died in Colombia when their house was buried by a landslide in the north-central province of Antioquia, emergency authorities reported on Tuesday.
The tragedy occurred early Monday after several days of torrential rains in the remote municipality of Angostura, said Freddy Rendon, director of the Office of Disaster Prevention, Attention and Recovery Office.
"Six people died, including the father, the mother and four children, who unfortunately were buried among the rubble," Rendon told local reporters.
When rescuers arrived at the site, a daughter of the family, who was not in the house, called for help, but it was too late. The bodies were recovered later on Monday.
Over 100 people have been killed in Colombia in similar events so far in 2011 after unusual heavy seasonal rains caused widespread flooding and river overflowing as well as landslides in mountainous areas.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has urged local governments to take extra measures to minimize the impact of the erratic weather that is believed to be the key cause for many natural disasters, and to ensure adequate evacuation plans in place. READ MORE
No comments