Bogotá (AFP) – At least 13 deaths were recorded this week in different areas of Colombia due to the intense rains that hit the country, unusual for this time of year, according to a report this Sunday based on official information.

First modification: 02/09/2026 - 10:19

A cold front that entered from the north of the American continent into the Colombian Caribbean increased rainfall in January by more than 64% compared to the historical average for Colombia, according to the national meteorology institute (Ideam), which stressed that this occurs "in the framework of a climate crisis."

Authorities reported on Sunday that seven people died and two more were injured by a landslide that occurred on Friday night in the municipality of Mallama, department of Nariño (southwest), after heavy rains that caused the sudden rise of a stream and unleashed a flow of mud that covered homes.

"The search and recovery work has ended after the mass movement registered (...) that unfortunately left seven people dead, in addition to two people injured, five homes destroyed and one health post affected," the government of this department bordering Ecuador said in a statement.

Images shared by the government show a large avalanche and surrounding excavators, lifeguards, rescue dogs and residents.

"We have already been able to rescue the seven bodies but we have many affected families who really lost absolutely everything," Ramiro Velásquez, governor of the indigenous reservation in Mallama, told the public media RTVC.

The leader of the original community asked to evacuate the area because, according to him, water leaks continue in the upper part of the mountain.

The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) reported on Thursday six deaths and thousands of victims throughout the country due to the weather.

"We have the official report of four deaths in Valle del Cauca (east) and two in Magdalena (north)" and "three missing in Córdoba (north)," said Carlos Carrillo, director of the UNGRD.

The cold front already leaves more than 69,000 families affected in 104 of the 1,100 municipalities of Colombia, according to the UNGRD.

Climate change has disrupted the dry and rainy seasons in Colombia, a tropical country without seasons, for years.

© 2026 AFP

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