On May 18, 2015 a major

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...

hit the town of

Salgar Salgar () is a town and municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia. It is part of the subregion of Southwestern Antioquia Southwestern Antioquia is a subregion in the Colombian Department of Antioquia. The region is made up o ...

, in Antioquia,

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. At least 78 people died in the disaster, making it the deadliest single-event disaster in Colombia since the

1999 Armenia, Colombia earthquake The 1999 Armenia, Colombia earthquake occurred on 25 January 1999 at with an epicenter west south west of Ibagué, Colombia.

Background

Colombia's rugged terrain and seismic activity make the country susceptible to natural disasters. From 1975 to 2015, there were about 150 serious disasters, which killed a total of 32,000 people. Flooding in the mountains is not uncommon, and occasionally leads to serious landslides. From 2010 to 2011, a series of floods and landslides killed 1,374 people and destroyed more than 100,000 homes.

Landslide

On May 18, 2015 a landslide occurred in La Libordiana region of Colombia. At around 3 a.m., the landslide went through the

municipality in

Antioquia Department ) , anthem = Himno de Antioquia , image_map = Antioquia in Colombia (mainland).svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Antioquia shown in red , image_ma ...

. The landslide occurred after days of rain in the mountains above the town. The Libordiana River, a tributary of the

Cauca River The Cauca River () is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. From its headwaters in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Magangue in Bolivar Department, and th ...

that runs through Salgar, then flooded upstream and triggered the landslide. The imminent danger was not apparent since the flooding occurred in a forested region where few people live. A survivor remarked: "People were just screaming everywhere, and I ran to help, but the river was impassable, and all the bridges were covered." Another said "We ran outside to the road and went into the chapel, and the lights went out and we were in the dark. Then we looked with flashlights and saw that everything was gone." The force of the landslide destroyed houses and ripped limbs from victims' bodies. According to Salgar mayor Olga Eugenia Osorio, the town of Santa Margarita, one of four towns that lies within the Salgar municipality, was "erased from the map."

Aftermath

At least 78 people were killed by the landslide. Victims were found as far as from the disaster site as the landslide carried bodies down river. An addition 37 people were injured and as of May 20, 2015, an unknown number of people were still unaccounted for. Dozens of houses and other buildings, including a grade school, remained buried. In total, around 500 people were directly affected by the landslide. The landslide left many bodies disfigured, complicating identification. Remains recovered from the debris had to be transported to

Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...

for identification, three hours from the disaster site. President

Juan Manuel Santos Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by profession and a journalist by trade, ...

flew to the region to oversee rescue efforts personally. He promised government assistance of around $6,500 per person to help rebuild Salgar, and declared it a public calamity. People left homeless by the disaster were provided with food and blankets, as survivors were ordered not to return to the town immediately in case of additional landslides. At least 15 trucks of portable drinking water were brought into Salgar. The public was asked to refrain from sending physical donations for disaster relief, but monetary donations were accepted.

References

{{reflist, 2 2015 in Colombia Antioquia Department Colombian landslide Colombian landslide 2015 May 2015 events in South America

Background

Landslide

Aftermath

See also

References