In Colombia, devastating flooding and mudslides kill at least 52

(Image credit: Twitter.com/Independent)

published 18 May 2015

At least 52 people in Colombia were killed early Monday when heavy rains triggered flash floods and mudslides in the town of Salgar.

Several people sustained injuries, and an unknown number of people are missing. Survivors said they heard rumbling in the middle of the night, and homes and bridges began to fall into the Libordiana ravine. "It was rocks and tree trunks everywhere," resident Diego Agudelo told The Associated Press. "The river took out everything in its path." The flooding destroyed the town's aqueduct, and electricity has been cut off because several utility poles were knocked over.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox