The death toll from an avalanche in Colombia has risen to 20

The death toll in the mud and water avalanche that occurred early Tuesday morning in the town of Quetame, u The Colombian department of Cundinamarca (center)was 20, reports The The governor of that region, Nicolás García.

“During the closure of the PMU (Unified Command Post) today, July 19, we unfortunately confirmed 20 deaths in the municipality of Quetame,” said the governor of Cundinamarca.

Rescue operations resumed on Wednesday to continue efforts to rescue people trapped after two streams, caused by heavy rains, overflowed at dawn on Tuesday, destroying part of the hamlet of Naranjal, located in rural Quetama.

According to data from Quetame City Hall, which belongs to the department of Cundinamarca, 20 houses are missing under the mud left by the avalanche, and the avalanche also collapsed the bridge, which is why the highway connecting Bogota with Villavicencio, the capital of the Met department and one of the main agricultural pantries in the country.

As a result, the Colombian government has opened an air bridge between Bogotá and Villavicencio as of today to bypass this main road blockade, with two planes and five additional flights operated by the state-owned company Satena with fares from about $63 to $96.

He Colombian President Gustavo Petroafter expressing his most sincere condolences, he indicated that “abnormal behavior due to the instability of the terrain” continues in that area, for which the Government made a game so that the families still there “immediately” move because “the danger has not stopped and it is important that the number of victims does not increase”.

“This is one of the events that are already characteristic of a mountain range that still has a very young life and that is unstable, and that has caused hundreds of deaths in that specific area,” added the president, who indicated that in addition to the installation of an air bridge, a group of experts planning the installation of metal bridges was transferred to the area.

For his part, the governor explained that “during the day, we also carried out reconnaissance with a drone to monitor the tributaries in the bridge, keep me safe and activate alarms when necessary.

Even today, he asked the Government for help to relocate or build a retaining wall to protect those who live in the 40 houses connected to that bridge.