Landslide kills 17 in Colombia

Bogota (dpa) 22 April 2019- At least 17 people have died in Colombia following a landslide triggered by heavy rains, the South American country’s government said on Sunday.  

Five others were injured and eight homes were washed away on Easter Sunday in the village of Portachuelo in the south-western department of Cauca, disaster management service UNGRD said.  

At least 25 people were still buried in the mud and debris, local media reports said.  

The Colombian Government, which dispatched the military to help with the recovery efforts, said that search operations were suspended overnight due to safety concerns.  

A stretch of the Pan-American Highway that links Ecuador’s capital Quito to the Colombian city of Cali has been closed.  

Colombian President Ivan Duque, who was travelling to Cauca, said on Twitter that emergency services were at work to clear the road to allow humanitarian aid to the affected area.