13 dead in Colombia landslide

Bogota, January 22

Thirteen persons, including two minors and two women, have died in a landslide in Colombia that dragged down a small bus near the Ecuadorian border, official sources said.

The bus was travelling on Sunday near the Narino area bordering Equador, Efe news reported. Torrential rain have been causing frequent landslides in this part of the country.

“I deeply mourn the death of at least 13 people who were travelling in a public service vehicle on the Tumaco-Pasto highway, which were hit by a landslide,” Alejandro Maya, director of the Colombian National Road Safety Agency, said on Twitter.

The landslide took place near the Devil’s Nose, 66 km from Pasto. The rescue agencies have already recovered ten bodies. The risk management team has moved heavy machines to the site, to clear the road.

The bus had left Tuquerres on Sunday morning with one passenger on board and picked up more along the way, so authorities could not establish the exact number of people in the vehicle.

The search and rescue efforts were suspended at night, due to the steep terrain, and would resume on Monday morning. — IANS