The death toll from a mud and water avalanche that occurred in the town of Quetame, in the Colombian department of Cundinamarca (central), has risen to 15, along with 6 injured and several people reported missing, as reported today by the governor of that region, Nicolás García.
In response to the situation, the authorities declared "a state of public calamity and urgency to immediately allocate resources to assist the victims, their families, and the municipality of Quetame," added the governor.
"Since 1:30 in the morning (6:30 GMT), we have been working at the Unified Command Post (PMU) to address the emergency in the municipality of Quetame. At this time, 15 bodies have been found lifeless, six people have been found alive and taken to health centers and hospitals in the province and the Meta and Villavicencio departments," García reported.
The heavy rains caused the overflow of two streams in the early hours of Tuesday, which swept away part of the Naranjal settlement located in the rural area of Quetame.
The General Director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), Olmedo López, told EFE that among the deceased, there are three minors, and the affected families will be temporarily relocated to a shelter.
"It was a small community," said the official, who added that, according to data from the Quetame Mayor's Office, "20 homes have disappeared" under the tons of mud left by the avalanche.
According to the authorities, the mudslide also swept away a bridge, causing the closure of the road from Bogotá to Villavicencio, the capital of the Meta department and one of the country's agricultural centers.