Colombia’s capital Bogota has been cut off from a large part of the northeast of the country after a landslide destroyed a bridge connecting the capital with the city of Bucaramanga Tuesday evening.
According to media reports, the landslide took place 15 miles south of Bucaramanga and has disconnected Bogota to Bucaramanga, Cucuta and forces travelers to the Caribbean city of Barranquilla to take a large detour.
The landslide reportedly did not only destroy the bridge, but also a police post and swept away a motorbike and a car. Media reports are contradictory about injuries. According to newspaper El Espectador no injures were reported, while Caracol Radio reported 15 people were injured.
Construction workers were sent to the scene to reopen the highway.
The Bucaramanga – Bogota highway is the second to be destroyed by a landslide this week. On Monday, Bucaramanga was cut off with the city of Barrancabermeja and Medellin because of another landslide.
The landslides are caused by torrential rains that have hit Colombia almost non-stop since the first quarter of last year. The floods and landslides following these rains have cripled the country’s transport infrastructure.