Heavy rain in Colombia has killed 38 people since the start of the rainy season, a report from the International Committee of the Red Cross revealed Thursday.
The latest victim of this year’s rainy season was a farmer who got caught in an unexpected rise of the Pepinillo river, in the Putumayo department of Colombia – bordering Ecuador and Peru.
According to the ICRC report, the rainy season, which started on September 1st, caused seven disappearances and 44 injuries. So far, it has affected 280,646 Colombians.
Local media report that the rain has caused emergencies in 27 of Colombia’s 32 departments, causing 77 mudslides and 229 floods.
The rain also damaged as many as 47,437 houses, and completely destroyed 305.
Colombia’s Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam) delivered a frightening report, claiming that this year’s rainy season could extend until March 2012 – while Colombia normally has to cope with two rainy seasons, one from April until June and one from September to December.
Colombia saw its most severe rainy season last year, which stretched from April 2010 to the same month of this year, causing the death of no less than 440 individuals, and destroying countless infrastructures such as roads, bridges, houses, and agricultural plants.
