Authorities in the northern Colombian department of Santander ordered the evacuation of 15,000 residents Thursday after mudslides killed at least three.
The decision was made amid fears that a double mudslide that hit the village of California in the afternoon could cause more destruction downstream.
The 15,000 people who were ordered to evacuate live south of California in the Sutara valley all the way to the northeastern slums of the department capital Bucaramanga.
According to locals, it has been raining in the region around Bucaramanga for three consecutive days.
Santander was one of the worst-hit department in last year’s rainy season when large parts of the department’s infrastructure were destroyed.