A mudslide in Colombia kills at least 14 people and blocks a crucial highway

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Forensics collect the wrapped bodies of victims of an avalanche that smothered their homes overnight, in El Naranjal, Colombia, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

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Relatives and friends of people who died in an avalanche watch forensic workers cover the bodies and take them away in El Naranjal, Colombia, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

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A truck is covered by mud under a bridge that collapsed during a deadly avalanche that also smothered some homes in El Naranjal, Colombia, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

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Dogs that were rescued from the mud stand by the wrapped bodies of victims of an avalanche that smothered their homes overnight, in El Naranjal, Colombia, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

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Dogs are rescued from the mud after a deadly avalanche that smothered residents’ homes overnight in El Naranjal, Colombia, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

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A bridge that once stood here is gone after a deadly avalanche that also smothered some homes in El Naranjal, Colombia, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

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Residents look at the wrapped bodies of victims of an avalanche that smothered their homes overnight, in El Naranjal, Colombia, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

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A rescue worker stands on a hill after a deadly avalanche smothered some homes and washed out a bridge overnight in El Naranjal, Colombia, Tuesday, July 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

By MANUEL RUEDA

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A mudslide in central Colombia killed at least 14 people early Tuesday and blocked a highway that connects Bogota to the nation’s eastern plains, officials said.

The avalanche of mud and debris took down several homes in Quetame, a municipality located an hour’s drive southeast of Bogota. It was unleashed by heavy rains that flooded three streams.

Police said they were searching for missing people who could be buried under the debris. The mudslide also swept over a toll booth and tore down a bridge on the Bogota-Villavicencio highway, forcing police to redirect traffic.

Many of the homes affected by the mudslide were built along hillsides, close to rivers.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro gave his condolences to the victims on Twitter, and wrote that the incident “demonstrates that there is an imperative need” for local officials to plan urban areas more rigorously, leaving greater space around waterways.

The mudslide will disrupt commerce between eastern Colombia and Bogota, which is a key transit route for beef, rice and palm oil.