100 more bodies believed trapped in landslide
Baku, December 9 (AZERTAC). About 100 people remained missing underneath a landslide in a suburb of Medellin, Colombia, a Red Cross official said Wednesday.
Rescuers resumed digging for victims Wednesday after overnight rains halted them, but Red Cross National Deputy Director Jorge Ivan Nova said the chances of finding survivors was slim. The landslide happened Sunday night.
Workers have recovered 43 bodies, Nova said.
The best chances of finding people alive are within the first 48 hours, he said.
"As more time passes, the less likely to find survivors," he said.
Between 30 and 50 homes were believed buried by the landslide in the town of Bello, just north of Medellin. Officials think the neighborhood was particularly packed Sunday afternoon, when families commonly get together for meals.
At least 194 people have been killed and 248 injured after torrential rains throughout Colombia that have affected nearly 1.6 million people, according to the country`s Interior Ministry. The downpours have caused landslides and overflowing rivers, destroying at least 2,040 houses and damaging nearly 270,000 more nationwide, the ministry said.
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