The incident triggered by intense rains left at least 100 people dead in Mocoa, located near Colombia’s border with Ecuador. The Red Cross reports that 127 people are dead, 220 missing and 400 injured when a water avalanche surged through a small city in Colombia. Minister of Interior Juan Manuel Cristo says in the middle of the night “families, boys, girls, young people, the elderly” were killed when three rivers overflowed. Witnesses felt buildings vibrate before an avalanche of water carrying mud and debris swept through, toppling homes and lifting trucks downstream. President Juan Manuel Santos said Saturday he was declaring the emergency to mobilize rescue operations in Mocoa.

Source: Washington Post April 01, 2017 17:08 UTC