(CNN Spanish) – The governor of the department of Cundinamarca, Nicolás García Bustos, said on Tuesday that an avalanche produced by a sudden flooding of rivers had caused at least six deaths and several were missing.
The avalanche occurred in Quetame, in the municipality of Guyabetal, Cundinamarca, 65 kilometers southeast of Bogotá, Colombia.
In addition to the six reported deaths, six other people were rescued and taken to hospital, the governor of the Cundinamarca department, Nicolás García, told Noticias Caracol.
The governor explained that the emergency in Quetame was caused by flash flooding in four collapsed streams. García added that 25 affected families have been counted so far and that due to the conditions in the area it was not possible to establish a specific number of missing persons.
The authorities are conducting a census.
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, expressed his condolences. “The death that reaches Quetame, Cundinamarca, demonstrates the urgent need to order the territory around the water and free up its spaces in the POT Plans of the municipalities. Mayors and trade unions must give priority to this principle. My condolences to the families of the victims.” he wrote on Twitter.
Among the missing, reported the governor of this Colombian department, there are several minors.
