The death toll from landslides in Colombia has risen to 33, including children

The death toll from a landslide in northwestern Colombia has risen to at least 33 people, with children making up most of the victims, the Colombian Vice President said.

Nineteen others were injured and rescue operations are still continuing.

An official said the landslides had already blocked the road linking the cities of Medellin and Quibdo, so people abandoned their cars and took shelter in a house.

Then another landslide occurred, burying them and some vehicles.

Colombian President Gustavo Brito pledged to provide “all available assistance” to the Chocó region.

A local official said the landslide occurred near the Carmen de Atrato area.

Up to 60 people were seeking shelter near an intersection. The house was full of women and young children, a man who survived the ordeal told local media.

Choose to speak anonymously to Tempo newspaperHe said that sausages and fried bananas were offered to those entering the building due to heavy rain.

But then, within seconds, the house and nearby cars were swept away by the landslide.

In a post on X, Vice President Francia Márquez Mena said relief agencies, local authorities, police and the army were deployed to support search and rescue efforts in Chocó province.

The tragedy shook the South American country, with widespread media coverage and many expressing their shock and condolences on social media.

The area, located in Chocó Province, bordering the Pacific Ocean, is densely forested and was subjected to heavy rains on Friday and Saturday.

The local mayor said on Saturday that some people were still trapped under the rubble.

Pictures posted on social media and television channels showed destroyed cars, partially buried in mud and fallen rocks.

While Colombia is currently going through a drought, the country's Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies has previously warned of the danger posed by heavy rains in areas bordering the Pacific Ocean and the Amazon rainforest.