page_title: 2017 Mocoa landslide
section_title: Disaster
hierarchical_section_title: 2017 Mocoa landslide / Disaster
caption_attribution_description: English: Debris left behind in Mocoa following catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides
context_page_description: The Mocoa landslide was a natural disaster that took place in 2017. During the pre-dawn hours of 1 April 2017, locally heavy rain triggered flash flooding and landslides in the city of Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia, killing at least 336 people, injuring 400, and leaving 200 others missing. It is the third-deadliest weather-related disaster in Colombian history, and is regarded as the worst catastrophe in the history of Mocoa.
context_section_description: On 31 March 2017, moist tropical air from the Atlantic Ocean flowed west across the Amazon toward the Andes. A broad swath of ample precipitable water, or atmospheric moisture, extended across this region. During the evening hours, a slow-moving mesoscale convective complex developed within this region and produced heavy rainfall in southern Colombia. Infrared satellite imagery from GOES-13 depicted cloud tops of −90 °C (−130 °F), indicating the storms were capable of producing torrential rain. With the system moving perpendicular to tall mountains, orographic influence likely enhanced rainfall and further contributed to the subsequent disaster. According to residents, the rain became particularly intense between 11:00 p.m. and 1 a.m. local time. A total of 130 mm (5.1 in) of rain fell during the event, largely within a few hours. This caused the Mocoa, Sangoyaco and Mulato rivers to overflow and send mudflows towards residences and infrastructure in the city of Mocoa by 3:00 a.m.
  Neighborhoods built along the banks of the aforementioned rivers were completely devastated. Numerous poorly constructed homes were leveled, and large portions of the city were left buried in several feet of mud. The disaster adversely affected 17 of the city's neighborhoods, with the mayor of Mocoa, José Antonio Castro, stating some areas "[had] basically been erased". The Independencia neighborhood was entirely destroyed. Approximately 45,000 people were directly affected throughout the city.
  At least 329 people are known to have died in the disaster. An additional 332 were injured and a further 70 were missing. At least 22 of the injured were in a "delicate health situation" and transferred to Neiva. Another 21 victims were flown to Popayán.
caption: Debris left behind along a previously swollen river in Mocoa
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