Colombia landslide leaves over 150 dead in Putumayo province

Heavy rains cause several rivers to overflow, pushing sediment on to buildings and roads in provincial capital of Mocoa
Drone footage captures landslide destruction in Colombia

Soldiers and residents during rescue operations at the scene of a landslide in Mocoa. Photograph: Colombian army/EPA

A picture provided by the Colombian Army showing some of the damage caused by the landslide in Mocoa. Photograph: Colombian army/EPA

Saturday 1 April 2017

A landslide in Colombia’s south-western border province of Putumayo has sent mud and debris crashing on to houses, killing at least 150 people and injuring scores more, officials have said. Heavy rains caused several rivers to overflow, pushing sediment on to buildings and roads in the provincial capital of Mocoa overnight.

“At this time we have removed 93 bodies. We have adults, women and infants,” police commander Col Omar Bonilla told Caracol, a radio station, on Saturday afternoon. The confirmed death toll continued to rise throughout the day.

President Juan Manuel Santos said on arriving in Mocoa: “It has just been reported to me that we have 112 people dead. We will keep looking.” The local disaster response unit reported that 120 people had been injured, though local media said the total was at least 200.

“We have sent a team of 150 people to make our response effective and machinery began work immediately,” Carlos Ivan Marquez, head of the response unit, said in a statement. “We will be with the governor and the mayor giving all necessary attention.”

Photos posted on Twitter by the air force showed streets filled with mud and damaged houses, while videos posted on social media showed residents searching for survivors in the debris and struggling to move through waist-high water.

“It’s a big area,” Mocoa’s mayor, José Antonio Castro, told Caracol. “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.” Two bridges also were destroyed, he added.

A combination of heavy rains, mountainous landscape and poorly constructed homes makes landslides in the Andean country relatively common.

Early on Saturday evening, Santos declared a state of emergency in the city, to allow rescue operations to be mobilised in the region. “We will do everything possible to help them,” he said. “It breaks my heart.” 

More than 1,100 soldiers and police officers have been called in to find and rescue survivors. Hundreds remain unaccounted for.