Mudslide covers houses in Colombia after hours of torrential rain

Several hours of torrential rain caused streams to burst their banks in the rural municipality of Quetame, Colombia, and resulted in a mudslide that covered houses late on Monday.

It has so far been reported that the mudslide buried or destroyed at least 22 houses and claimed at least 20 lives, while also leaving others injured or missing.

A search and rescue operation has been ongoing, which includes more than 400 military personnel, firefighters, and rescue workers. However, their work has been hindered by continuing poor weather and site conditions, resulting in the search being temporarily called off on Tuesday.

Flooding and mudslides caused problems with transportation as well. More specifically, a 118m-long bridge linking Bogota to Villavicencio was washed away, while accumulation of mud and debris near the Narajal toll post, about 60 km away from the capital, has blocked traffic on the transportation route from Bogota to Colombia’s southeast.

These events are not uncommon in Colombia, as during the rainy season of 2022, about 300 people lost their lives. Reports of several fatal landslides and flooding have also been made during January and March of this year as well.

Finally, President Gustavo Petro said that the latest events highlight the need for bolstering anti-flooding mechanisms.