Colombia Mudslide Death Toll Rises To 28

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The number of dead from a mudslide that buried houses in southwestern Colombia has risen to at least 28, rescue authorities said on Monday.

Eleven more bodies were found during a rescue operation in Rosas, in the department of Cauca, where 17 people were pronounced dead on Sunday when the mudslide occurred, Colombia’s risk and disaster agency (UNGRD) said on its Twitter account.

At least two other people are still unaccounted for and hopes of finding them alive are waning, a UNGRD source told AFP.

Local fire brigade chief Juan Carlos Ganan said the force of the mudslide meant finding survivors was highly unlikely.

He added that heavy rains meant there was the risk of another mudslide. The country has been battered by downpours for weeks.

AFP

Rescue workers carry a corpse after a landslide in Rosas, Cauca department, in southwestern Colombia, on April 21, 2019.  Luis ROBAYO / AFP