At least 48 dead in Colombia landslide

A massive landslide tore through a ravine in northwest Colombia Monday before dawn, killing 48 people and injuring 27, authorities said.

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

The rush of mud and water "tore down everything in its path," Salgar Mayor Olga Osorio told journalists.

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

Santa Margarita, the worst affected, 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.

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.

Ex-president turned opposition leader Alvaro Uribe also visited the area, which is near where he grew up.

"I met a woman who was holding her three-day-old grandson. His parents are lost," he told RCN radio.

"It's very painful what we saw."

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 have 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 2010-2011, heavy rains caused flooding and landslides that killed 1,374 people and destroyed more than 100,000 homes.