Mudslides kill 14 in Colombia

A deluge of rain set off landslides that smashed homes and filled streets with mud on Thursday in a mountain city in a coffeegrowing part of Colombia, and authorities said at least 14 people were killed and two dozen injured.

The disaster struck in the early morning when many people in Manizales were still asleep, just as a flooding disaster two weeks ago that caused more than 300 deaths in this Andean nation’s southern city of Mocoa.

Dozens of hillsides gave way in Manizales after the city of nearly 400,000 people received the equivalent of a full month’s rain in the span of five hours. The inundation caused at least 40 to 50 avalanches of mud and rock that destroyed homes and left several roadways impassable.

Rescuers dug in thick layers of mud searching for nine people listed as missing. Among those believed buried in the debris was a man trying to help several relatives after water began entering their home. A mudslide wrecked the house while he was still inside, though all of his family members managed to escape.

“Unfortunately, everything indicates he is buried in there,” said Juan Carlos Rendon, a transit coordinator aiding operations in Manizales.

The dead included a police officer and at least three children. President Juan Manuel Santos attempted to reach the region but was forced to land 200 kilometers away in Medellin after encountering bad weather. In remarks in a live broadcast, he said residents in areas still at high risk were being evacuated and national agencies mobilized to assist in the recovery.

“It rained in Manizales like it has never rained before,” Santos said.

The landslides occurred as Colombia is still recovering from the March 31 disaster in Mocoa, and the two incidents drew several immediate parallels.