Floods kill 4 in central Colombia, close roadways

Heavy rains and flooding in central Colombia have left four people dead, authorities reported Sunday. Torrential downpours in the state of Boyaca, the worst hit, destroyed homes and caused flash floods. Alirio Rozo, director of the state emergency management office, said one of the victims was a 50-year-old woman, identified as Rufina Montoya, who drowned in a flooded in the town of Jerico. A 22-year-old man was swept away by flood waters in the town of Chita, where the Negro River burst its banks, after he got out of his car to remove several fallen tree trunks that were blocking the road. Another two people were buried under a mudslide over the Umbita- Villapinzon roadway. Several other roads, including the Tunja- Bogota Highway, were closed off due to collapsed buildings and mudslides. Some 3,000 cargo trucks were stranded along various roadways, according to the Colombian Truck Drivers Association, whose president, Alfonso Medrano, called on the government to help speed up efforts to clear away the debris.

Colombia's El Universal daily said "several regions in the country are on emergency alerts as a result of recent rains" that began Thursday, including nine other states, and at least three other roadways were completely cut off. Endite