Four killed, 12 missing in Colombia landslide

At least four people died while 12 went missing after a landslide on a highway in southwest Colombia Thursday left several vehicles buried under mounds of dirt, officials said.

Among the vehicles trapped by the landslide were two buses, an ambulance and a tanker truck.

"So far, four people have been confirmed dead, one of them a bus driver, and surely that number will rise a little due to the situation that is taking place," reported Xinhua citing Cesar Urena, an official with the Red Cross National Rescue office.

The landslide occurred at around 6 a.m. local time as several vehicles were backed up, waiting for the highway to be cleared after a smaller landslide had blocked traffic, said witnesses.

Some 25,000 cubic metres of dirt and rubble buried several vehicles at km 38 of the highway linking the town of Suaza, in Huila department (state), with Florencia, in Caqueta department.