Twenty-four days passed after the emergency collapse on the highway to the sea in the department of Antioquia, precisely in the corridor that connects the municipalities of Dabeiba and Uramita, as an avalanche ended up burying four people who were in this area and four vehicles transiting through it, although three of the victims had were found on 17 March, until this week the authorities managed to find the total number of deaths.
The concessionaire Autopistas Urabá, gave the report of the events on Tuesday night, noting: “In the afternoon the body was found lifeless of a collaborator of the project, who had been reported missing after the contingency occurred, constituted as a fortuitous event and/or force majeure, which originated by the landslide in the Peñas Blancas trail in PR 26+000 of functional unit 2, between Uramita and Dabeiba on the Medellín — Urabá road”.
The newspaper El Colombiano was able to establish that the last victim found was identified as 42-year-old David Alberto Novoa, who worked as a collaborator and operator of the company, which is intervening in the infrastructure of this road corridor. Along with Novoa, two adults and a minor were buried on the day of the collapse, where approximately 40,000 cubic meters of earth fell, causing an emergency in this sector.
The other three victims they found on 17 March in the emergency zone were identified by the authorities as Ana María Calvo, 22, Edwin Andrés Guevara, 27, and a minor under age 2, all of whom were a family who was moving in a small vehicle from the municipality of Chigorodó, bound for the jurisdiction of Riosucio in the department of Caldas.
At the time of the emergency, an additional concern arose considering that this mass landslide caused the damming of the river that transits in this area, a situation that made it difficult to rescue and access the point where the victims were, the landslide also buried two vehicles and two motorcycles, in addition to this, one of the 17 prefabricated tunnels was left underground.
It is important to note that the highway concessionaire Autopistas Urabá explained that the rescue phase was constantly difficult, because the mountain could continue to detach, posing an active threat to the relief teams, which is why the care in the area lasted more than 20 days.
Autopistas Urabá said: “From the outset, personnel and machinery were available to support the search, however, the rescue work was hampered by the conditions of the same slide and by the recurrent threat of new events in the area where the removal and rescue is being worked.”
The Administrative Department of Risk Management of Antioquia (DAGRAN) has analyzed the rainy season throughout March, a circumstance that could generate serious emergencies throughout the region, in addition to this.
DAGRAM Antioquia has made several recommendations to avoid risks in the rainy season, highlighting:
Avoid being placed in open fields during thunderstorms
Avoid approaching trees that may be lightning receptors during rainy weather
Be attentive to weather conditions, in case of trips to river bodies such as rivers and streams in different parts of the region
Clean roofs to prevent water damming and secure them
Take into account the recommendations of the road authorities, to avoid exposure in areas of risk of landslide or flood
Do not throw garbage to prevent clogging of water channels
Report any anomalies at the level of rivers or streams and monitor them
Watch for emergency numbers; organize reaction groups with family and community
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