A couple and their child died early Tuesday morning as a landslide buried their home following heavy rains in northeast Colombia, according to Radio Caracol.
The victims have been identified as Hercilia and Crispiniano Torres, and their 13-year-old son David. Two surviving children, aged 7 and 8, are believed to have been saved by a refrigerator which blocked the falling earth.
The home was located on the side of a mountain in the Santander district in northeast Colombia. The landslide that buried it is thought to have been caused by swelling of the nearby Negro river after heavy rains.
The department of Santander has declared a red alert as a result of the heavy rains in the region over recent days, which have led to the closures of several major highways connecting cities within the department, according to newspaper El Tiempo.
