Heavy rains in Colombia have affected close to 2 million people, the country’s President Juan Manuel Santos said Sunday after inspecting flooded areas in the northern Atlantico department.
During his visit to the Caribbean department, the president met with several of his ministers and Atlantico politicians and flew over an area in the south of the department where the country’s biggest river, the Magdalena, had flooded four villages.
Following his flight, the president talked to the press and confirmed the arrival of international aid, stressing “we need more” and again called on Colombians to help those who fell victim to this year’s extreme rainfall.
Santos also announced his government is considering new measures to release funds needed to help the victims of the floods and landslides.
Santos had returned early from an Ibero-American summit in Argentina to attend the growing rainy season emergency that has killed at least 175 people so far.
View Floods in southern Bolivar in a larger map
