A landslide has engulfed a road in Colombia, killing three people and leaving about 20 trapped in the mud.
Crews spent Sunday, local time, searching for people riding on a bus and a motorcycle who were caught up in the disaster in a remote area Pueblo Rico in north-west Colombia.
“Nine rescued, three fatalities and an estimated 20 who remain to be found. It is a tragedy,” President Gustavo Petro wrote on Twitter.
One survivor said the bus driver managed to dodge the worst of the landslide.
“Part of it was coming down and the bus was a little bit back from that. The bus driver was backing up when it all came crashing down,” Andres Ibarguen told radio station Lloro Stereo.
There were 25 people onboard the bus, travelling from the city of Cali, which was buried in the landslide.
The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) said a child under seven years of age was among those killed.
UNGRD said the area was at a very high risk of a mass movement influenced by the La Niña phenomenon.
“[La Niña] has generated hyper saturation in materials with a high degree of metamorphism, also associated with abrupt slopes, which have triggered superficial mass movements,” a statement from UNGRD said.
“It is important that you follow the authorities’ instructions and collaborate with them.
“It is also necessary to avoid returning until the area is safe and prevent other people from doing so.”
According to the government, this rainy season that began in August is Colombia’s worst in 40 years, causing accidents that have left more than 270 people dead.
