Spanish
Bogotá, Colombia.- Five people, three adults and two minors, died in the Colombian department of Norte de Santander, bordering Venezuela, after the rising of the Peralonso River swept away a group of bathers who were in a spa where a music band festival was taking place.
"Suddenly, the river rose and swept away three adult women and two minors," said Police Inspector Luis Eduardo Laduado to BluRadio this Sunday.
The tragedy occurred on Saturday afternoon in Salazar de las Palmas due to the rising of the Peralonso River, whose flow suddenly increased due to the intense rains recorded in recent days in the region.
According to witnesses, it was not raining in the area of the spa where a music festival was taking place, with the participation of local groups and others that had arrived from Cúcuta, the departmental capital.
The rescue of the deceased took several hours. Shortly after, the search efforts were suspended, as it was verified that there were no more missing persons.
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According to the Colombian National Disaster Risk Management Unit (Ungrd), the rainy season left 754 municipalities in 31 departments affected in the first half of the year, with a direct impact on more than 168,500 families.
The most frequent events during this first stage of rains in the country were landslides (571), floods (336) and flash floods (115); while the most affected departments were Huila, Antioquia, Cundinamarca, Caldas and Tolima.
