On May 18th, a landside caused by heavy rains in Antioquia Province, Colombia killed at least 48 people, while dozens more are still missing, local authorities said.

“We have 48 bodies in the morgue; 27 injured people have been attended to and the search for various missing people continues," Carlos Ivan Marquez, the Director of the National Disaster Unit, told.

The exact number of casualties would be higher as several families are still missing, the official warned.

Residents describe ‘rocks and tree trunks everywhere’ after landslide swept away dozens of homes

Colombia's government will provide aid to the victims, President, Juan Manuel Santos said via Twitter.

Rescue teams and residents have got together to dig through rubble in the hope of finding survivors.

The Colombian Air Force and police have sent helicopters to the area. More than 160 soldiers are working in the emergency effort. Some 100 people have been evacuated from high-risk areas.

More rain is expected in the are in the next few days./.

( Compiled by VNF )