145 people buried by mudslide

5 December 2010 in Medellin, Colombia

In a landslide near the second largest Colombian city, Medellin at least 145 people have been buried. About 50 houses were destroyed. The Red Cross fears that the death toll is rising even further.

The landslide occurred at around 2pm in the district of Bello in the north of Medellin. About 250 workers are on duty to search for survivors and victims among the masses of earth. Hundreds of people from neighboring streets had to leave their houses in order "to avoid further risks," said the governor of Antioquia, Alfredo Ramos.

The heavy rain, that troubled throughout Colombia during the recent month, is suspected to be the cause for the landslide on Sunday. However, it has not been heavily raining the past few days in Bello.

According to president Juan Manuel Santos,  two million people in the country already sustained damages to their belongings within the recent months. 174 people died in floods or landslides.

The neighboring Venezuela is currently experiencing the worst floods in 40 years. More than 30 people were killed and some 90,000 were homeless. To accommodate these people President Hugo Chávez announced some expropriations.

The heaviest rainfalls in the region within four decades resulted from the La Niña phenomenon, which occurs every few years. According to meteorologists the rain season could last until the end of this year.

Source: reuters.com.