COLOMBIA MUDSLIDE,FLOODING KILL 254 IN MIDNIGHT

COLOMBIA MUDSLIDE,FLOODING KILL 254 IN MIDNIGHT

കൊ​ളം​ബി​യ​യി​ൽ ദു​ര​ന്തം

ഇ​ടി​ഞ്ഞി​റ​ങ്ങി; 254 മ​ര​ണം

Flooding and mudslides in the Colombian city of Mocoa sent torrents of water and debris crashing onto houses in the early hours of Saturday morning, killing 254 people, injuring hundreds and sending terrified residents, some in their pajamas, scrambling to evacuate.Heavy rains caused several rivers to overflow, pushing sediment and rocks onto buildings and roads in the capital of southwestern Putumayo province and immobilizing cars in several feet of mud"It was torrential rainstorm, it got really strong between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.," said local resident Mario Usale, 42, who was looking for his father-in-law in the debris. "My mother-in-law was also missing, but we found her alive two kilometers away. She has head injuries, but she was conscious."Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos flew to Mocoa, population 345,000, to oversee rescue efforts on the city outskirts and speak with affected families."We will do everything possible to help them," Santos said after confirming the death toll. "It breaks my heart."The army said in a statement that 254 people were killed, 400 people had been injured and 200 were missing. More than 1,100 soldiers and police officers were called in to help dig people out in 17 affected neighborhoods.Even in a country where heavy rains, a mountainous landscape and informal construction of homes combine to make mud and landslides a common occurrence, the scale of the Mocoa disaster was daunting compared to recent tragedies, like a 2015 landslide that killed nearly 80 people in Salgar, Antioquia. Colombia's deadliest landslide, the 1985 Armero disaster, left more than 20,000 dead."It's a big area," Mocoa Mayor Jose Antonio Castro, who lost his house, told Caracol radio on Saturday. "A big portion of the many houses were just taken by the avalanche."മൊ​ക്കോ​വ: കൊ​ളം​ബി​യ​യി​ൽ ശ​ക്ത​മാ​യ മ​ഴ​യെ​തു​ട​ർ​ന്നു​ണ്ടാ​യ മ​ണ്ണി​ടി​ച്ചി​ലി​ൽ 254 പേ​ർ മ​രി​ച്ചു. നി​ര​വ​ധി പേ​രെ കാ​ണാ​താ​യി. സൈ​ന്യ​വും പോ​ലീ​സും സ്ഥ​ല​ത്ത് തെ​ര​ച്ചി​ൽ‌ തു​ട​രു​ക​യാ​ണ്. 1,100 സൈ​നി​ക​രും പോ​ലീ​സു​കാ​രു​മാ​ണ് ര​ക്ഷാ​പ്ര​വ​ർ​ത്ത​ന​ത്തി​ൽ ഏ​ർ​പ്പെ​ട്ടി​രി​ക്കു​ന്ന​ത്. രാ​ജ്യ​ത്തി​ന്‍റെ തെ​ക്കു​പ​ടി​ഞ്ഞാ​റു​ള്ള മൊ​ക്കോ​വ​യി​ലെ പു​ട​മാ​യോ​യി​ലാ​ണ് സം​ഭ​വം.

ക​ന​ത്ത​മ​ഴ​യും വെ​ള്ള​പ്പൊ​ക്ക​വു​മാ​ണ് മ​ണ്ണി​ടി​ച്ചി​ലി​ന് കാ​ര​ണ​മാ​യ​ത്. പ്ര​ദേ​ശ​ത്തു​നി​ന്നും ആ​ളു​ക​ൾ കൂ​ട്ട​ത്തോ​ടെ ഒ​ഴി​ഞ്ഞു​പോ​യ്ക്കോ​ണ്ടി​രി​ക്കു​ക​യാ​ണ്. മ​ണ്ണി​ടി​ച്ചി​ലി​ൽ നാ​നൂ​റി​ല​ധി​കം ആ​ളു​ക​ൾ​ക്ക് പ​രി​ക്കേ​റ്റി​ട്ടു​ണ്ട്. ഇ​രു​നൂ​റി​ല​ധി​കം ആ​ളു​ക​ളെ കാ​ണാ​താ​കു​ക​യും ചെ​യ്തു. പ്ര​സി​ഡ​ന്‍റ് ഹു​വാ​ൻ മാ​നു​വേ​ൽ സാ​ന്‍റോ​സ് പ്ര​ദേ​ശ​ത്ത് അ​ടി​യ​ന്ത​രാ​വ​സ്ഥ പ്ര​ഖ്യാ​പി​ച്ചു.