Death Toll Rises To 19
In Colombian Landslide
At least 19 people,
including a child and a
pregnant woman, were
killed in a landslide in
Colombia triggered by
days of heavy rains,
authorities said Sunday.
About 10 others were
still buried under mud
and rubbles after a
landslide crushed houses
on Saturday in Medellin,
a city some 450 km
northwest of the
country's capital.
Rescue workers will
continue to search for
survivors for about
three days. More
casualties are expected
as local residents were
asleep when the
landslide happened.
The landslide has
devastated many houses,
and the geological
condition in the region,
which doesn't allow
operation of big
scrapers, has weighed on
the rescue efforts, said
the rescue workers.
Colombian President
Alvaro Uribe, who is
scheduled to attend the
annual meeting of the
Organization of American
States later Sunday in
Medellin, has visited
the disaster-hit area
twice since Saturday
evening.
Flooding and landslides
triggered by heavy rains
have left at least 16
dead and over 100,000
displaced across
Colombia since the rainy
season began in
mid-April.
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