At least 254 people were killed after flooding and mudslides in the Colombian city of Mocoa sent torrents of water and debris crashing onto houses on April 1.
According to reports, heavy rains caused several rivers to overflow, pushing sediment and rocks onto buildings and roads in Mocoa. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos flew to Mocoa to oversee rescue efforts on the city outskirts and speak with affected families.
The President has also declared a state of emergency in the city. Earlier, the Colombian Health Ministry had already implemented an emergency action plan to prevent the spread of diseases from the decomposing bodies of victims in the humid region.
The army have announced that 254 people were killed, 400 people had been injured and 200 were missing. More than 1,100 soldiers and police officers were called in to help dig people out in 17 affected neighborhoods.
Several deadly landslides have struck Colombia in recent months. A landslide in November killed nine people. A landslide the month before killed 10 people in the north of the country.
Following the tragedy, Martin Santiago, UN chef for Colombia, reportedly said that the climate change is generating dynamics and we see the tremendous results in terms of intensity, frequency and magnitude of these natural effects, as we have just seen in Mocoa.
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