BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A mudslide swept over people changing from one bus to another because an earlier slide was blocking a mountain road Monday, and at least 20 people were buried, authorities said.
John Freddy Rendon, director of the regional disaster response office, said the accident happened in northwestern Colombia, on the road between the towns of Giraldo and Canasgordas, 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the capital, Bogota.
He said passengers had gotten off one bus and were crossing the blocked portion of the road to board a second bus that had been sent to pick them up because of the earlier landslide when another mudslide cascaded down the mountain.
The slide also destroyed four or five homes, he said.
“At this point we have between 20 and 30 people missing in the rubble,” Rendon said in a telephone interview.
He said about 100 workers began digging looking for the missing but the effort had to be suspended because of dangers conditions caused by rain and poor visibility. The work would resume early Tuesday, he said.
A strong rainy season in recent weeks has caused flooding and made roads unusable across Colombia, authorities have reported.
Submitting your tip... please wait!
GdHUs
Posted on September 29, 2010 at 1:27amI don‘t know what’s scarier, the bulls running amok or this? Either way I’m staying the hell out of Columbia!
Report Post »edmonds6458@yahoo.com
Posted on September 29, 2010 at 12:45amWow!!!
Report Post »Vast Right Wing Conspiracy Czar
Posted on September 28, 2010 at 7:29pmin the beginning of the clip, was that a bunch of people just standing their watching the mountain come down? Wow. If the mountain is falling down, you’ll find me no where on the mountain ..
Report Post »ThomasUSA
Posted on September 28, 2010 at 6:47pmI had no idea what a mud slide looked like.. It’s like an avalanche of dirt. I was thinking of something more like the volcanic “lahar”.. that looked very dry.. We are so powerless and frail compared to the powers of the earth. God help them…
Report Post »paperpushermj
Posted on September 28, 2010 at 10:10amMay a loving God show mercy on their souls.
30moves
Posted on September 28, 2010 at 6:40amI lived in Colombia in 1977 and went on a bus trip and had to switch buses for the same reason. We walked across the mudslide and and got on the other bus. I never thought about a second slide. Yikes. Seems to be a common problem there. So sad.
Report Post »JJ Coolay
Posted on September 28, 2010 at 7:45amYou walked across the mudslide? That’s nuts! I guess if it’s your only option… but still, I wouldn’t be comfortable with it.
Report Post »