Colombia declares state of emergency over deadly floods

BOGOTÁ: Colombia declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after floods killed 18 people and left thousands of families displaced in the country’s northern cattle belt.

Water submerged homes after a dam and rivers overflowed in Cordoba, one of the worst-hit departments where more than 150,000 residents have been affected.

The floods have destroyed more than 4,300 homes and submerged vast swathes of the country used for grazing and agriculture, authorities said.

At least 1,200 cattle have died, according to the cattle ranchers’ association.

Colombia’s disaster relief agency had reported 22 deaths nationwide on Monday, but later revised the figure down.

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The emergency decree allows President Gustavo Petro to take special measures to address the crisis for 30 days, including allocating resources to impacted departments without congressional approval.