Rain, mudslide deaths in Colombia rise to 43

TERRA.WIRE

Rain, mudslide deaths in Colombia rise to 43
BOGOTA (AFP) Oct 17, 2005
Heavy rains triggering mudslides on Colombia's mountainsides have killed at least 43 people and prompted evacuations of homes in the coffee-growing region over the weekend, officials said Monday.

Aid officials also listed 22 persons as missing as the seasonal rains continue to pound northwestern Colombia.

The toll in hardest-hit Antioquia province rose to 35 from 26 deaths reported on October 7.

Officials said this year's rainy season has become the worst of the last five years and warned that the death toll was likely to rise as they appealed for aid and medicine.