A deadly landslide has rocked Colombia for the second time this month, claiming at least 11 lives just weeks after more than 300 were killed in a similar disaster.Twenty remain missing after the landslide hit several neighbourhoods in Manizales, near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano.The city is the capital of Caldas province, one of Colombia's main coffee producing regions situated to the west of Bogota.Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said he was trying to get to the scene, but that airport closures due to bad weather had delayed his journey.He said he would make his way to the city as soon as the airports reopen.Mayor of Manizales Octavio Cardona Leon, blamed recent heavy rains for the deadly landslide, sayingLandslides are a common occurrence in the South American country, with its mountainous landscape, heavy rains and informal construction frequently combining with often disastrous effects.In 1985, the Armero disaster claimed more than 20,000 lives - a major consequence of the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz, which saw pyroclastic flows send four enormous lahars (volcanically induced mudslides, landslides and debris flows) down its slopes at 50 km/h. The landslide in Manizales, capital of coffee-growing Caldas province west of Bogota, followed a similar disaster in Mocoa, Putumayo earlier this month that killed more than 320 people and displaced thousands from their homes. Nine people were injured and at least 57 houses have been affected, the government said. “We are helping to find the disappeared ... and unfortunately the number will rise,” President Juan Manuel Santos said of the death toll after arriving in Manizales.
At least 17 people are killed after an Andean landslide strikes the Colombian city of Manizales.