Deadly Colombia landslide engulfs highway near Medellin

By News Source Guyana on October 28, 2016

Deadly Colombia landslide engulfs highway near Medellin

(BBC) A landslide on a major highway in Colombia has killed at least six people, officials said.

On Wednesday, tonnes of earth engulfed the main highway leading north from Colombia’s second-largest city, Medellin.

The mud from the mountainside covered an area the size of two football fields and buried two cars, a lorry and two motorbikes, rescue workers said.

Emergency workers are searching the mud for any more victims.

The landslide came down about 12km (7 miles) north of Medellin in the Copacabana area.

General view of a landslide that affected the Medellin-Bogota highway in the jurisdiction of Copacabana, close to Medellin, Antioquia department, in Colombia, taken on October 26, 2016. — Image captionThe landslide hit near Copacabana, north of Medellin

General view of a landslide that affected the Medellin-Bogota highway in Colombia October 26, 2016. — Image captionThe road is located at the bottom of a steep mountainside

General view of a landslide that affected the Medellin-Bogota highway in the jurisdiction of Copacabana, close to Medellin, Antioquia department, in Colombia, taken on October 26, 2016. — Image captionA house at the bottom of the mountainside just escaped being buried under the mud

General view of a landslide that affected the Medellin-Bogota highway in Colombia October 26, 2016 — Image captionOfficials said heavy rain had caused the landslide

Rescuers search for survivors or victims of a landslide that affected the Medellin-Bogota highway in Colombia October 26, 2016. — Image captionDogs have been brought in to help search for the victims

Landslides are common in this mountainous region of Colombia, especially following heavy rains.

Six years ago, 85 people died just a few kilometres south of Copacabana, when a landslide buried dozens of homes in the town of Bello.

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