Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Tuesday visited the site where an estimated 30 people were buried alive when a landslide hit a village in the north western department of Antioquia. The president called for caution, as ongoing rains may cause similar massive landslides.
Santos and his Transport Minister German Cardona inspected the disaster area by helicopter on Tuesday morning, and observed efforts to rescue people from underneath the rubble.
The president warned Colombians not to be careless on mountain roads and not to ignore danger warnings by state agents, as some of the victims of the Antioquia landslide had continued on foot along a road which had been closed because of a previous landslide.
“Unfortunately the people who were crossing did not listen to the warnings of authorities. Because of this we always ask Colombians to listen to the recommendations of authorities in rainy season. Be prepared, because winter will be even stronger,” Santos said.
This year’s rainy season has caused more than 100 deaths so far and has damaged the houses and lands of more than 770,000 Colombians.