Hundreds killed, missing in nightmare Colombia flood

A RAGING stew of mud and water generated by three overflowing rivers inundated a city in Colombia — killing at least 193 people, officials said Saturday.

Several streets in Mocoa were left unrecognizable after the floods swept through about midnight.

The torrent of water and debris, sparked by a sudden rainstorm, caught many sleeping residents off guard.

Even those who were awake struggled to survive as the deluge toppled homes, ripped trees from their roots and propelled cars and trucks downstream.

Some 202 people were injured and another 220 were believed missing, according to the Red Cross.

President Juan Manuel Santos declared a state of emergency on Saturday and warned that the death toll will likely rise.

“We don’t know how many there are going to be,” he said after arriving at the disaster zone to oversee rescue efforts. “We’re still looking.” Several residents were wandering around Mocoa, a mountain community of about 40,000, in a desperate search for their loved ones.

“In this moment, it’s chaos,” said Oscar Forero, a spokesman with the Colombian Red Cross.

Shaken survivors gave harrowing accounts of the night.

Eduardo Vargas, 29, was awoken by the sound of neighbors banging on his door and quickly took off with his wife and 7-month-old baby.

They charged up a small mountain amid the cries of people in panic. “There was no time for anything,” he said.

Vargas and his family huddled with about two dozen other residents as rocks, trees and wooden planks ripped through their neighborhood below.

When they finally returned to the site of their home after daybreak, nothing remained.

“Thank God we have our lives,” Vargas said.

Oscar Londono walked through the devastated city searching for his wife’s parents.

The streets were gone, and several homes were buried under mud.

Before he finally reunited with his in-laws, Londono stumbled upon the body of a young woman dressed in a mini-skirt and black blouse.

He checked her could not find one.

“There were bodies all over,” he said.

Some hospital workers rushed to work even while their own relatives remained missing.

“Under the mud,” said Herman Granados, an anesthesiologist who treated victims throughout the night.

“I am sure there are many more.” pulse but