BOGOTA.- At least 34 people lost their lives in a landslide that occurred this Friday on a busy highway that connects Quibdó, the capital of the department of Chocó, with Medellín, in Antioquia, Colombia.
The new death toll was confirmed by the Chocó Government, an entity that established a unified command post to coordinate emergency actions. According to their statement, 17 lifeless bodies have been inspected, and another 17 are expected to be transferred to continue recovery efforts.
The vice president of Colombia, France Marquez, reported on social networks that search and rescue tasks are still underway, with special attention to people trapped under the landslide. The presence of several minors among the victims was highlighted, although a specific number was not provided.
The identification of at least four women among the bodies that remain in forensic medicine was announced by the government, which has arranged accompaniment to family members through a psychosocial support team. Governor Nubia Córdoba, together with the director of the Risk Management Unit, Víctor Mesa, traveled by helicopter to the emergency area, expressing the deep regret that overwhelms Chocó.
Although the Risk Management Unit did not specify the cause of the landslide, the Department of Defense indicated that the rains in the area complicated rescue efforts. Firefighters, Army, Civil Defense and Colombian Aerospace Force teams remain in the area to carry out search operations.
In videos published by citizens on social networks, you can see the moment in which the earth of a mountain abruptly collapses on several vehicles. Images captured during a helicopter overflight, released by the government, illustrate the magnitude of the landslide that covers a large part of the mountainous area.
President Gustavo Petro, through social networks, assured that all available help would be provided to Chocó in this painful moment. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense reported that the military forces are working tirelessly to reopen the road, facing heavy rains that complicate access to rescue people trapped by the landslides alive.
Source: With information from Europa Press and AP
