Death toll of Colombia landslide climbs to 286

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A landslide triggered by heavy rainfall in Colombia on Saturday morning has now claimed the lives of at least 286 people, with over 260 others injured and many still missing.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who visited the southern city of Mocoa on Monday to speak with the families of victims and oversee rescue efforts, has declared a state of emergency.‍

Relief supplies have been delivered by air to the stricken area, where shelters were built to house the victims. President Santos said the top priority was to prevent a post-disaster epidemic, and reaffirmed the government's commitment to relief and reconstruction work.

A man looks at a destroyed area, after flooding and mudslides in Mocoa, Colombia. /CFP Photo

Scores of decomposing cadavers were released for burial on Monday, as the officials sought to bury them as soon as possible to avoid the spread of disease. Vaccination work against infectious disease has also begun.

Rescuers continue to search for victims of the weekend flooding and landslides that devastated the city in southern Colombia.

Families of the dead will receive about 6,400 US dollars in aid and the government will cover hospital and funeral costs.‍

A woman cries as she identifies her daughter's body after flooding and mudslides in Villagarzon, Colombia. /CFP Photo

Even in a country where heavy rains, a mountainous landscape and informal construction combine to make landslides a common occurrence, the scale of the Mocoa disaster was daunting compared to recent tragedies, including a 2015 landslide that killed nearly 100 people.

Colombia's deadliest landslide, the 1985 Armero disaster, took more than 20,000 lives.

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