2015 Colombian landslide
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 Salgar (shaded bright red) in the Antioquia Department of Colombia | |
| Date | 18 May 2015 |
|---|---|
| Time | 3:00 am local time |
| Location | Salgar, Antioquia Department, Colombia |
| Coordinates | 5°57′42″N 75°58′31″W / 5.961667°N 75.975278°W |
| Type | Landslide |
| Cause | Flooding from heavy rain |
| Deaths | 83[1] |
| Non-fatal injuries | 37 |
| Property damage | 146 houses destroyed[1] |
On May 18, 2015 a major landslide hit the town of Salgar, in Antioquia, Colombia.[2] At least 78 people died in the disaster, making it the deadliest single-event disaster in Colombia since the 1999 Armenia, Colombia earthquake.[3][4]
Colombia's rugged terrain and seismic activity make the country susceptible to natural disasters. From 1975 to 2015, there were about 150 serious disasters, which killed a total of 32,000 people. Flooding in the mountains is not uncommon, and occasionally leads to serious landslides.[3] From 2010 to 2011, a series of floods and landslides killed 1,374 people and destroyed more than 100,000 homes.[5]
Landslide
On May 18, 2015 a landslide occurred in La Libordiana region of Colombia.[3] At around 3 a.m., the landslide went through the Salgar municipality in Antioquia Department.[2] The landslide occurred after days of rain in the mountains above the town.[3] The Libordiana River, a tributary of the Cauca River that runs through Salgar, then flooded upstream and triggered the landslide.[2] The imminent danger was not apparent since the flooding occurred in a forested region where few people live.[3]
A survivor remarked: "People were just screaming everywhere, and I ran to help, but the river was impassable, and all the bridges were covered."[4] Another said "We ran outside to the road and went into the chapel, and the lights went out and we were in the dark. Then we looked with flashlights and saw that everything was gone."[4] The force of the landslide destroyed houses and ripped limbs from victims' bodies.[3] According to Salgar mayor Olga Eugenia Osorio, the town of Santa Margarita, one of four towns that lies within the Salgar municipality, was "erased from the map."[2]