The death toll from the massive mudslide in southern Colombia rose to 306, of whom 92 are children, according to the Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas.
The giant mudslide hit late last Friday after heavy rains caused three rivers to flood, sending a sea of mud, boulders and debris crashing into the town of Mocoa.
More than 300 people remain unaccounted for, according to President Juan Manuel Santos.
Mocoa was home to 70,000 people, about 45,000 of whom were affected by the disaster, according to the Red Cross.
The authorities are investigating whether local and regional officials correctly enforced building codes and planned adequately for natural disasters.
The mayor, the governor and their predecessors are being probed to see whether they bear responsibility for the tragedy, according to Colombian media reports.
The mudslide turned Mocoa into a wasteland of earth, boulders and debris.
Many survivors have had to take the disaster response effort into their own hands, clawing through the mud for their loved ones, digging their graves themselves and defending what belongings they have left from looters.
(Source: AFP)
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