Six people die from a landslide in the Colombian town of Pereira

At least six people died and another 20 were injured by a landslide caused by the rains that affect the Colombian city of Pereira, capital of the department of Risaralda (center), official sources reported Tuesday.

“At this time we have the report of six deceased people and the authorities they’re looking for survivors in the rubble”, the Secretary of Government of Pereira, Álvaro Arias, told journalists.

The official explained that the emergency occurred early today due to the downpour that caused a landslide that affected several homes in the La Esneda neighborhood.

Arias added that firefighters, police and relief agencies are sweeping the area, one of the most depressed in Pereira, to establish for sure how many people died, the total number of injured and how many houses were affected or destroyed.

Locals told local media that at least 20 people injured They were taken to city hospitals.

In addition, they reported that several houses were buried because a slope broke off and the Otún River, which crosses Pereira, overflowed.

The The emergency was initially attended by firefighters from Dosquebradas, a town near Pereira. Then the Red Cross and the Risaralda Risk Management Directorate, among others, joined.

Videos circulate on social networks in which it is seen that the inhabitants work with their hands and manage to get out residents who were trapped in their houses by the mud.

The governor of Risaralda, Víctor Manuel Tamayo, went to the place of the landslide to speak with the victims, who are afraid to return to their homes because the rains do not stop and asked the Government to help them with food, cleaning supplies, mattresses and clothing because They lost everything in the tragedy. (I)