The rainy They left one more victim in the apartment of the Tolimawhere a minor was dragged by the growing of a ravine just at the moment when he was trying to cross it on foot to go to his school.
The unfortunate news happened this Friday in the village of La Paloma, municipality of Planadas, southern Tolima, where 13-year-old Emmanuel Azcárate Rodríguez drowned.
The teenager lost his life when he was walking towards the San Pedro Educational Institution, located in that village that is part of the Nasa We’sx indigenous reservation, in the municipality of Planadas, a region 8 hours by car from Ibagué.
The rising water came with a lot of sediment that hit and drowned the 13-year-old boy.
Gildardo Varón Paya, indigenous governor, pointed out that “the rising of the ravine swept him away in the blink of an eye. The boy was on foot and suddenly he was caught by the rising that came down with stones and sticks. Emmanuel was a student who all Every day he took this route to go to school and return home”.
In strong and prolonged winters, the La Paloma ravine becomes dangerous and the indigenous community and students must cross it, running multiple dangers.
The ravine, about 8 meters wide, had a wooden bridge with ropes that was built manually by the community, but a few months ago it was demolished by a flood.
“We all cross it on foot, but the situation is very difficult in the rainy months like the ones we have this year,” said community residents.
According to the balance of the Tolima authorities, this year the winter has already left 5 people dead, mainly due to landslides in the municipalities of Palocabildo, Casabianca and Planadas.
