154 dead, 220 missing in Colombia after wall of water roars through city

A massive wall of water carrying mud and debris crashed through a

small city in southwest Colombia overnight, killing at least 154

people, some of them still in their beds, and leaving 220 missing,

after heavy rains caused a nearby river to overflow.



Hundreds more were injured in the deluge that struck around midnight

when many people were sleeping, washing away trees, vehicles, houses

and everything in its path.

More than 20 were injured so seriously they had to be airlifted to other cities.



Warning the death toll could rise as the search for survivors

continues, Colombian President Juan Manuel



Santos declared a state of emergency for Mocoa, a small city of about

40,000 located near the southern border with Ecuador.



Santos said he blamed climate change for the wall of water that

knocked out power in half the province of Putumayo, where Mocoa is

located, and wiped out the city's supply of fresh water.



The rainfall total in one night amounted to nearly half the

precipitation the city of Mocoa typically receives in the entire month

of March, he said, adding that local and national authorities must

work to prevent another tragedy as the rainy season gets underway.



"These rains are increasingly more intense, so we have to be ready,"

Santos said, according to the Associated Press.



Using the hashtag #TodosConMocoa, Santos wrote on Twitter: "Our

hearts are with the families of victims and affected by this tragedy."



The torrential rains triggered what the Colombian Army called an

"avalanche" of muddy and debris strewn water from the Mocoa River and

its tributaries. Soon the city's streets filled with rushing water

that crushed homes, pulled trees up from their roots and whisked away

cars and trucks.



Witnesses said buildings vibrated as the muddy waters swiftly swept

through the unsuspecting city. Many residents didn't have time to

scramble to rooftops or to escape to higher ground.

Mocoa's mayor Jose Antonio Castro said houses in 17 neighborhoods were

wiped out.



"A big portion of the many houses were just taken by the avalanche,

but above all the people were warned with enough time and they were

able to get out," Castro told Sky News. Herman Granados, a doctor at

the local hospital, said he worked through the night to help victims.



The hospital was quickly running out of supplies and didn't have

enough blood on hand to treat patients, he added.

"Under the mud, I am sure there are many more (people)," Granados told

the Associated Press.



Santos' Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro on Saturday offered to

send disaster relief experts to Colombia in a temporary detente. In

1999 the late Hugo Chavez had to confront his nation's worst natural

disaster when thousands of people died in mudslides.





Contributing: The Associated Press