Authorities: Death toll rises to 30 in Colombia landslide

BOGOTA – The death toll in a devastating landslide that flowed over homes in a small community in southwestern Colombia has risen to 30.

National disaster response agency director Eduardo Gonzalez says workers initially recovered the bodies of 17 people following the slide early Sunday in Las Rosas, a town about 400 miles (630 kilometres) from Bogota.

Rescue workers have since found the lifeless remains of another 13 more.

Heavy rains have been pounding much of Colombia, swelling rivers, ruining crops and triggering mudslides destroying homes.

Authorities say a total of 47 people have been killed, including those in Las Rosas.

More than 150 rescue workers from the Red Cross and other agencies have been digging through the debris in search of survivors.