Colombian mudslide: Children swept away as river burst its banks
- Published
A photo taken by the disaster management agency shows the road which was engulfed by the mudslide
At least 14 people, among them several children, have been killed after a river burst its banks in Colombia, officials say.
Rising water levels caused mudslides which swept away homes in Quetame, a municipality south-east of the capital, Bogotá.
Rescue workers are searching for at least a dozen people who have been reported missing.
A bridge linking Bogotá with the city of Villavicencio has been destroyed.
Among those killed are three children aged 12, 10 and six, rescue workers said.
The 12-year-old was swept away by a mudslide along with his mother, newspaper El Tiempo reports.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro expressed his condolences on Twitter, external.
The sudden surge in the level of the local river came after heavy rainfall.
Locals reported hearing a roaring sound as the landslide engulfed the main road linking the capital with the south-eastern provinces of Cundinamarca and Meta.
The worst affected area is Naranjal, where at least 20 homes were destroyed by the rising waters.
Video uploaded to social media appears to show a house collapsing as the ground it stands on is being swept away by a fast-flowing river.
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Heavy machinery has been brought in to clear the road.
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