The last person who was reported missing after the avalanche in Quetame, Cundinamarca, in the early morning of July 18, was found lifeless this Friday, so that in total the emergency left a total of 29 dead.
This was confirmed by Captain Álvaro Farfán, Cundinamarca Fire Department delegate, who pointed out that the body was found in the Reform sector.
“This afternoon another body was found in the jurisdiction of the Guayuriva River, in the Reforma sector, for a total of 29 bodies recovered,” the captain said.
In the same way, Farfán pointed out that with this finding they terminate the search work. However, they will continue in the area doing other work.
“We continue to be very attentive to other tasks from the PMU in relation to other requests made in four municipalities that are in an emergency,” added the departmental delegate.
The search work by the authorities lasted ten days, despite the heavy rains, the military, firefighters and members of other state entities, which totaled more than 400 rescuers, were in Quetame.
Last Tuesday, they had found 15 victims of the avalanche, which keeps the road between the capital, Bogotá, and Villavicencio blocked at kilometer 60. This Sunday a bridge will be enabled for vehicular traffic.
The mayor of the municipality, Camilo Parrado, assured that the mud reached two meters in height in some areas. A tollbooth was littered with mud and stones.
The mountainous geography and many waterways in the region make this type of landslide on the road common.
The rainy season in Colombia began in June and usually lasts until November. Last year it left some 300 dead and 700,000 affected, including 34 people who died when the bus they were traveling in was buried in a landslide in the west of the country.