Death toll rises to 23 after mudslide in northwest Colombia

A mudslide brought on by heavy rains in northwest Colombia killed at least 23 people and injured dozens on a busy highway, authorities said on Saturday.

The mudslide, which happened Friday afternoon, covered a roadway that connects the cities of Quibdo and Medellin in the Pacific province of Choco.

At least 35 people were also injured and an unknown number of people are still missing as mud completely engulfed several cars on the road, authorities said.

“The extraction of bodies continues,” the governor of Choco said in a statement shared on social media.

Images on social media showed the moment a large piece of land dislodged from a mountain and fell on top of several cars that were moving along the flooded road below.

The road has been closed by Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).