By IANS
Bogota : Eight people have been rescued from the landslide that buried at least 17 vehicles on a highway in west-central Colombia, emergency organizations said.
The landslide occurred early Wednesday morning on the highway linking the cities of Manizales and Bogota, and the emergency workers were searching for survivors and bodies, Spain’s EFE news agency reported Thursday.
The eight rescued, all with severe injuries, were transported to San Vicente Hospital of the city.
Some of the people who were caught in the landslide told radio stations that several landslides occurred at different points and it was feared that more vehicles – both passenger and cargo – might have been buried.
Highway Police and National Roadway Institute (Invias) said that the landslides were huge and there was a possibility of further landslides due to intense rains in the area.
Invias chief Daniel Garcia Arizabalet asked travellers not to use the highway during the Christmas season.
Spokesmen with the two organisations said that the highway between Manizales and the capital would remain closed for at least three days because of the landslide.