Identified 11 of the 12 victims of the avalanche in Abriaqui, Antioquia

The Administrative Department of Risk Management of Antioquia (Dagran) reported on the morning of April 7 a tragedy that occurred in the municipality of Abriaquí. According to the latest report from the entity, heavy rains caused the sudden rise of a river that ended in an avalanche that left 12 people dead, 9 injured and two missing.

Authorities identified 11 of the 12 deceased. The victims are: Erica Johanna Mira, Jorge Armando Muñetón, Ferney Ernesto Salas, Hector Osvaldo Garcia, Luis Carlos Higuita, Fatima del Socorro Hidalgo, Jesus Ivan Casas, Juan Pablo Marín Arango, Humberto Rodriguez Celis, Sebastián Sepulveda Zapata and Jose Alejandro Garcés Tobón.

The events were presented at 8:00 on the night of April 6 and on the morning of this Thursday, the Government of Antioquia was present at the scene of the tragedy. “Work is being done by the Dagran, together with the firefighters and mine personnel, the work to define this number of missing persons, but, simultaneously, search and rescue teams are advancing,” said the department's governor, Aníbal Gaviria.

Although the Dagran had 22 people to support the search for missing persons, on Thursday night, according to W Radio, it was ordered to suspend the operation temporarily due to weather conditions in the area, as a new emergency could arise.

Details of the emergency in Abriaquí

Jaime Enrique Gómez, director of the Dagran, said there was no alert for a similar emergency in the area. For this reason, the workers at the El Porvenir mine, located in La Antigua, did not have time to react and ended up affected by the avalanche.

Regarding the victims, Gómez indicated that most of them are from Frontino, from Abriaquí and there is one from Huila. “No people were trapped in the mine; the emergency was in the casino, which was close to the river,” explained the director, because the workers were on site sheltering from the rain and collecting their food to start their rest.

For his part, the representative of Frontino, Nelson David Carvajal, commented that this municipality has a mining vocation, which explains why most of the victims are from this area of Antioquia. “At least, for now, eight are from Frontino, but there could be more. We would have to wait for an official report so as not to make mistakes,” said the official.

Carvajal explained that in the area of the avalanche there were no real houses, but that there were some huts where the miners stayed while they worked.

One of the survivors was Hernán Darío Carvajal, who spoke to Blu Radio about the emergency. “From one moment to another the quebradita came out a little and started running around the yard. I ran to inform my colleagues,” the victim explained. The miner assured that some heard his warning and came out, while others “were taken away (the avalanche) because there was no time for anything (...) When I go out, I see an immense, high and big wave,” he added to the media outlet.

In the face of the emergency, the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) revealed that meetings were being held with the authorities to deal with the crisis. “Climate predictions are socialized in the Departmental Council for Disaster Risk Management. The La Niña phenomenon is likely to be present until June. Excess rainfall in Urabá, Bajo Cauca, Aburrá, and the West,” the entity wrote on its Twitter account.

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