Mocoa: Flooding and mudslides in the Colombian city of Mocoa sent torrents of water and debris crashing onto houses in the early hours of Saturday morning, killing 254 people, injuring hundreds and sending terrified residents, some in their pajamas, scrambling to evacuate.
Heavy rains caused several rivers to overflow, pushing sediment and rocks onto buildings and roads in the capital of southwestern Putumayo province and immobilising cars in several feet of mud.
It was torrential rainstorm, it got really strong between 11 pm and 1 am," said local resident Mario Usale, 42, who was looking for his father-in-law in the debris.
"My mother-in-law was also missing, but we found her alive two kilometers away. She has head injuries, but she was conscious."
In this handout photo released by the Colombian National Army, soldiers and residents work together in rescue efforts in Mocoa, Colombia on April 1, 2017. (Colombian Army Photo via AP)
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos flew to Mocoa, population 345,000, to oversee rescue efforts on the city outskirts and speak with affected families.
We will do everything possible to help them," Santos said after confirming the death toll. "It breaks my heart."
Santos gave a lower death toll of 193 via Twitter.
Even in a country where heavy rains, a mountainous landscape and informal construction of homes combine to make mud and landslides a common occurrence, the scale of the Mocoa disaster was daunting compared to recent tragedies, like a 2015 landslide that killed nearly 80 people in Salgar, Antioquia. Colombia's deadliest landslide, the 1985 Armero disaster, left more than 20,000 dead.
He said that people were warned ahead of time and many were able to get out, but several neighborhoods and two bridges had been destroyed.
Weather authorities said light rains were expected in the area on Saturday night and Sunday.
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