Rescue Efforts Continue After Landslides in Colombia

A massive landslide in Bello, Colombia on Sunday buried between 30 and 50 homes and left more than 100 people missing. More than 700 people continued to work in shifts Tuesday in hopes of finding survivors in the rubble.

The Red Cross said 23 bodies had been found by Monday night. An estimated 120 people are still trapped. Red Cross National Deputy Director Jorge Ivan said the chances of finding anyone alive diminishes as time passes. Only 7 people have been pulled from the rubble alive.

Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos will visit Bello on Tuesday. "My heart is with the victims of this terrible tragedy... In a few hours we will go directly to Medellin to be with the victims' families and tell them, 'Whatever the government can do to mitigate this pain and suffering, we will be there,'" Santos said in a statement.

Authorities began evacuating neighborhoods in the affected area as more landslides could occur. “The zone, geologically, is very unstable,” said Bello government secretary Digeo Munoz.

More than 1.6 million people have been affected by heavy rains battering Colombia. The rain has caused landslides and flooding across the country. At least 194 people have been killed and 2,040 homes destroyed. About 270,000 homes have been damaged.

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