Colombia landslide 'tears down everything in its path', killing Atleast 55

 
A massive landslide has torn through a ravine in north-west Colombia, killing atleast 55 people and injuring 37, authorities said.

Most residents were sleeping when the landslide hit the municipality of Salgar around 3:00am (local time), burying a large area in mud and debris.

The rush of mud and water "tore down everything in its path," Salgar mayor Olga Osorio said.

The small town of Santa Margarita was practically "wiped off the map," she said.

The town is one of four towns that make up Salgar, a municipality of 17,000 people in the department of Antioquia.

It was cut off from the rest of the area because of damage to an access road and a bridge, local media said.

Local residents dug through rubble with sticks and their hands looking for survivors.

"People that you knew, children, young people, whole families, lost their homes," resident Maria Gutierrez said.

"We're on alert because there are fears there could be another landslide.
"It almost gave me a heartache. We saw big waves and people and pigs going down in the water."

President Juan Manuel Santos flew over the affected area and met with local officials, his office said.

"Those affected will receive all our support," he wrote on Twitter.

The area was left without drinking water or gas. Authorities said rescue workers were having difficulty accessing the zone.

Extra emergency teams, rescue dogs and humanitarian aid had been sent, said Red Cross spokeswoman Ana Carolina Gutierrez.

The area had been hit by several days of heavy rain.

Colombia's tropical climate and mountainous landscapes make it prone to landslides.

In 2010-11, heavy rains caused flooding and landslides that killed 1,374 people and destroyed more than 100,000 homes.