Three minors died due to an avalanche on a rural school in Colombia

First modification: 07/15/2022 – 00:40Last modification: 07/15/2022 – 00:38

The avalanche surprised twenty preschool and first grade children who were taking a break with a teacher and the mother of one of the minors.

“We give very sad news: three children lose their lives in this event,” the mayor of Andes, Carlos Osorio, told the media, without specifying their ages. A first report reported eight trapped children.

The earth buried a good part of the small school. “Fortunately, 17 students came out alive (…) the teacher and the mother too,” Osorio said, adding that two other minors who had been trapped in the rubble are now “stable” in a nearby hospital.

Brigade members helped by the military, dozens of residents and two construction machines participated in the rescue of the minors.

“We were all in recess when suddenly we heard something very loud, we all turned around (to look), in a matter of seconds we all ran (…) we didn’t even know where we were running, the only thing we did was run,” Eliana Rincones told the media. , the only teacher in the educational institution of the Tapardó hamlet.

The landslide was caused by the heavy rains that are recorded in a large part of the Colombian territory, due to the so-called La Niña phenomenon, a climatic event caused by the cooling of the Pacific Ocean.

According to the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies, the rainfall will last until September.