Colombia\'s winter season leaves 7 dead

The current winter season in Colombia has left seven people dead and dozens injured, with 200 houses destroyed and 13,000 families affected, an official said on Saturday. "Rainfalls have taken place in some country regions, especially in the west-central area that includes the coffee producer departments and a part of the savannah of Cundinamarca and Boyaca," Carlos Ivan Marquez, director of the risk management department, told local Caracol radio station. According to Marquez, there are still fifteen days left for heavy rains and especially in the departments of Boyaca, Caldas, Cundinamarca, Huila, Quindio and Risaralda, where the prevention measures remain active because of the high risk. Caldas is the most affected department in the last days, where there have been two people missing and seven injured. Hailstorms and thunderstorms have also led to emergency situations such as the partial collapse of a roof in Unicentro, a renowned mall center in Bogota's northern area.