BOGOTA, (Reuters) – A mudslide has killed 37 people in Colombia and buried homes in the central city of Manizales after torrential rains, the government said today.
The state-run National System for Disaster Prevention and Attention said 16 people were wounded and another 20 missing.
Bulldozers and rescuers worked fast to clear rubble from destroyed houses on the outskirts of Manizales, a city in Caldas department in the country’s main coffee-growing region.
The disaster happened on Saturday, and the death toll has climbed slowly since then. President Juan Manuel Santos visited the area on Sunday.
Colombia has suffered one of its worst rainy seasons in decades, with some 70 people killed and tens of thousands forced from their homes.
The downpours are a big reason the country expects to miss its coffee output goal for this year. The mudslide did not, however, affect the coffee crops.
