By Richard McColl

BOGOTA, Colombia 

The number of dead from a landslide in northwestern Colombia was raised to 83 on Wednesday, as reports surfaced of prior warnings that such a disaster may occur.

As the search for survivors and answers continue, the reports have been made public showing there was an urgent need to relocate to higher ground the riverside population in the town of Salgar. 

 “A strong rainfall could produce a significant pressure on the water basin of the Liboriana River affecting the urban area with a maximum intensity in the space of 1 hour and 45 minutes,” according to a 2012 study by the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Central Antioquia (Corantioquia) – a public body responsible for environmental management and policy for the area.

Corantioquia’s director Alejandro González admitted this type of tragedy is not exclusive to Salgar but that 60 percent of Antioquia’s population is at risk. Records also show Salgar suffered minor floods in 2007, 2011 and 2012.   

During the early morning hours Monday, Salgar was struck by a landslide as the River Liboriana burst its banks during heavy rains in the department of Antioquia,.

Of the 83 fatalities, only 54 have so far been identified, with 120 more missing and 542 left homeless. Rescuers have extended the search area to include areas as far as 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Salgar’s urban center.

While some blame Salgar Mayor Olga Eugenia Osorio for failure to act and a poor response regarding Corantioquia’s recommendations during her term in office from 2012 - 2015, Gov. Sergio Fajardo of Antioquia spoke in her defence.

“What we know is that behind the urban settlement of Salgar there is a mountainous area which receives an above average rainfall, and on the Plateado mountain there was a heavy downpour which caused the Liboriana River to burst its banks. No one could have predicted this,” Fajardo said. 

Colombia is no stranger to natural disasters and a World Bank study released Wednesday shows 353 towns across the country are at risk of landslides and flooding – the equivalent of three out of every 10 Colombians living at risk.

In Antioquia, 23 towns in addition to Salgar are at high risk of landslides and flooding.