The devastation caused by the recent rainy season appears to have returned after landslides and flooding in Antioquia left six people dead, four injured, and a further 250 affected.
The department capital of Medellin endured some of the most serious damage, with six people having been confirmed dead after landslides in the poor district of La Sierra in Comuna 8, Caracol Radio reported Sunday.
Among those who died were six-months pregnant Doris Moreno Flores, 20, and her husband Fabian de Jesus Acosta Moreno, 30, while three children and an adult were injured when their homes were destroyed in the landslide.
Hundreds more people have been evacuated from their homes after the foundations were deemed to be unsafe.
The Mayor of Medellin Alonso Salazar mourned the unfortunate deaths and set in motion a contingency plan aimed at accompanying the victims and carrying out further risk inspections of various buildings.
The new onset of rainy season devastation has already negatively affected the country’s winter produce, while landslides, floods and windstorms have been reported in the departments of Choco, Valle del Cauca, Tolima, Huila and Cesar.
Authorities are also closely monitoring the departments of Bolivar, Santander and Cundinamarca due to the rising Magdalena River, especially with heavy rains forecast throughout the rest of April and May.
The government is still in the process of providing aid and support for some 3 million victims of the 2010 rainy season that caused widespread problems throughout the nation.