RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After days of heavy rains in the Colombian city of Pereira, capital of Risaralda, there was a landslide Tuesday that killed at least 11 people and several are missing, according to the country’s president, Ivan Duque.
“We deeply regret what happened between Dosquebradas and Pereira, Risaralda, where a mass movement has so far left 11 dead, 35 injured and material losses,” Duque wrote in his social networks.
Preliminarily, authorities said that among the deceased was a 13-year-old minor and at least 21 people were injured, who were transported to different hospitals in the capital of Risaralda.
The landslide near the Otún River also caused several houses in that neighborhood to be buried, as the rising river caused a landslide from the hillside into the houses.
Pereira’s government secretary, Álvaro Arias, said there was no accurate information on the number of missing people.
“The landslide occurs in the sector of La Esneda, in Dos Quebradas, but it crosses the entire Otún River and ends in the city of Pereira on Avenida del Río,” he added.
“People are missing in Pereira and Dosquebradas, but the number of victims is not yet clear. Information is currently being collected from relatives,” he said.
Pereira is a “depressed and vulnerable” sector, according to the governor, so it is difficult to estimate the number of damages to homes, since people live in houses with reduced space.
“A landslide emergency occurs in the neighborhood of La Esneda. Several houses are affected there, with people trapped under the landslide,” Risaralda Government Secretary Isarael Londoño told local media.