BOGOTA, Colombia — At least 34 people died from landslides in the northwestern Colombia department of Chocó, authorities said Saturday.
The landslide occurred on a busy road on Friday in a mountainous area that connected the cities of Quibdo and Medellin, SkyNews reported.
The country’s National Disaster Risk Management Unit initially said that at least 18 people were killed, but updated that figure on Saturday, according to The Associated Press.
So far, 17 bodies were transferred to Medellin for forensic examination, with another 17 expected to be moved soon, CNN reported.
“We are experiencing a very sad weekend for Chocó,” Gov. Nubia Carolina Córdoba Curi said in a statement. “Our people feel the pain of the victims. I will not rest until I make sure that all Chocoans have information about their relatives.”
While Colombia is currently in the middle of a drought, the country’s Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies has warned about the dangers of heavy rains in the areas bordering the Pacific coast and the Amazon rainforest, the BBC reported.
The risk management unit did not specify officially what could have caused the landslide, according to the AP.
Earlier, Colombian Vice President Francia Marquez said in a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a search continued “for people who remain trapped under the landslide.”
President Gustavo Petro tweeted that his government would provide all support needed for a “horrible tragedy,” according to SkyNews.
Colombians have experienced deadly landslides before.
In 2017, more than 200 people were killed in a landslide in the southern area of Colombia, CNN reported. That natural disaster occurred after torrential rains sent mud through the city of Mocoa.
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