Sixteen missing in mudslide in Colombia

Dec 13, 2011, 17:55 GMT

Bogota - Sixteen people are believed to have been buried Tuesday in a mudslide in the south-western Colombian province of Narino, along the border with Ecuador.

The authorities said the incident happened in Moncayo, in a rural area of the municipality of La Cruz. The mudslide, caused by recent heavy rain, fell on three houses which according to locals held 16 people.

Rescue teams from Narino capital Pasto were deployed in the area to try to find survivors. Colonel Mario Orozco, head of Civil Defence in Narino, told Colombian radio network Caracol that the area is remote and that rescue efforts are very difficult.

La Cruz authorities had previously evacuated 22 families who lived nearby, due to the risks of staying on the mountain side.

The rainy season in Colombia since September had so far left 141 dead, 13 missing and almost 540,000 people whose property had been damaged by mudslides and flooding, the authorities said.

The situation is expected to improve from next weekend, as the rainy season gives way to a dry spell. That in turn is to end around April, to be followed by another rainy season.

The rain has led to a state of emergency in the cities of Cucuta, Riohacha and Manizales, where mudslides have damaged water supply systems and led to water rationing.