In the early hours of this Tuesday there was a heavy downpour in Pereira which caused a landslide that -at the same time- caused the river overflow and buried several houses in the La Esneda neighborhood. At the moment, the deaths of 15 people have been confirmed, including three minors, and there are at least 34 wounded.
The emergency is attended by the firefighters of Dosquebradas and Pereira, who – with the help of dozens of neighbors and inhabitants of the neighborhood – are still looking for the people who would have been buried under the rubble.
The first to arrive in the sector were those from the Fire Department of Dosquebradas, Risaralda, since the area of the tragedy is the one that borders Pereira and Dosquebradas. At the time of their arrival, around 8 in the morning, two deaths were confirmed, but the number of deaths increased considerably.
The Mayor’s Office of Pereira confirms that there are already 15 dead and the injured reach 29.
The rains cause a serious emergency in the city of #Pereira. In the La Esneda neighborhood there are several people buried after a slope broke off and fell on the houses. The Otún River also overflowed its banks. pic.twitter.com/aGdaap2tQI
– Laura Usma Cardona (@Laurau_c) February 8, 2022
Firefighters rescuing one of the people buried in the mud and debris.
Dosquebradas firefighters
“Unfortunately we already have to report 14 people dead, 29 injured and one missing. For safety reasons, we have decided to evacuate the 15 neighboring houses and ask people not to stay in the place because it is still a risk area,” reported the mayor of Pereira, Carlos Maya.
The president pointed out that about 25 years ago a similar tragedy occurred in the area that suffers flooding of the river in winter.
“The banks of the Otún River have been invaded many times and although we have evicted it so that the families do not live there is a risk, many people return. Now we’re focused on recovering the bodies and finding more survivors, and then we’ll think about relocation.Maya added.
Also, the Dosquebradas firefighters pointed out that the risk of a major disaster in the area continues, since the flow of the river is still very high.
“We are working to rescue people trapped by the landslide in the La Esneda sector. Two blocks around the landslide have already been evacuated, as a high flow of the Otún River continues to occur, generating a high risk,” reported the Dosquebradas Fire Department.
The shocking images of the winter tragedy in Pereira, where a landslide fell on several houses and claimed the lives of 11 people, so far.
The shocking images of the winter tragedy in Pereira, where a landslide fell on several houses and claimed the lives of 11 people, so far.
The shocking images of the winter tragedy in Pereira, where a landslide fell on several houses and claimed the lives of 11 people, so far.
The shocking images of the winter tragedy in Pereira, where a landslide fell on several houses and claimed the lives of 11 people, so far.
The shocking images of the winter tragedy in Pereira, where a landslide fell on several houses and claimed the lives of 11 people, so far.
For its part, the Mayor’s Office of Dosquebradas reported that the injured people have been transferred to the San Jorge Hospital. In addition, there is a person who has not yet been found and at the moment the relief agencies are still looking for him.
In terms of material damage, 20 homes were reported destroyed. It should be noted that La Esneda is not an irregular neighborhood or an invasion, this sector has always been recognized by the local authorities of Pereira.
The causes of the tragedy that already claims 14 lives in Pereira
According to what was reported by the authorities, a saturation of the land, after more than 12 continuous hours of rain, was the cause of the disaster.
“The triggering factor for the emergency was a rupture in the ditch channel that, when it collapsed, generated an accumulation and constant flow of water towards the hillside,” the Pereira mayor’s office officially reported.
Winter tragedy in Pereira.
The triggering factor for the emergency was a rupture in the ditch channel which, when it collapsed, generated an accumulation and constant flow of water towards the hillside.
“I have given the instruction to transfer two motorized pumps from La Virginia, which we deliver through the Departmental Coordination of Disaster Risk Management in 2021. Our relief agencies are ready to meet the needs of the place,” added the governor of Risaralda, Victor Manuel Tamayo.
Due to the large number of injured people, the hospital network declared a yellow alert. One of the hospitals where they have received more patients is the San Jorge hospital, from where a preliminary report was delivered.
“Among the wounded there are two in surgery, one with a diagnosis of pneumothorax and another with trauma to the lower limbs with cardiovascular risk,” reported hospital manager María Elena Ruiz.In the sector, 64 homes were evacuated and specialized technicians continue to assess the head of the slope.
Affected explain how the moments of terror were
José Quintero is an older adult, like so many from La Esneda, who is experiencing a family tragedy due to the landslide.
At dawn my other daughter called me and told me that she knew what had happened and when I went down everything was already destroyed. My son-in-law and brother died and my daughter is hospitalized
“At dawn my other daughter called me and told me that she knew what had happened and when I went down everything was already destroyed. My son-in-law and brother died, and my daughter is hospitalizedQuintero narrated.
The relatives referred to by this person, who lives on 24th Street, two blocks before the scene of the tragedy, had a store and an arepas sale in the place.
after the tragedy, several affected told EL TIEMPO that they have been telling the Mayor of Pereira for months that the slope that was on the neighborhood presented a deterioration and there was constantly detachment of material.
Even some inhabitants of the sector captured the drop in small proportions of this material for a month. Those affected pointed out that what happened this February 8 is similar to what happened in 1973, on that occasion about 60 people died.
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