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Local residents and rescue workers are searching for survivors
Photo: Jaime Saldarriaga/AP
At least eight students have been buried under a mudslide in Colombia.
The search for the children continued in the rural community of Andes in the north-west of the country, videos circulating online showed.
Among other things, dozens of residents could be seen digging with shovels on a slope covered in rubble and fallen trees.
According to initial information, eight children were "trapped" in the masses of mud, wrote the mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, on Twitter.
Medellín is the capital of the Antioquia region where Andes is located.
Teacher Eliana Rincones reported that 22 children were in the school at the time of the accident.
"We were all at break when we suddenly heard something very loud," she said.
"Within seconds we were all running."
Impact of »La Nina«
The landslide was triggered by heavy rains currently falling on large parts of Colombia.
The heavy rain is an effect of the weather phenomenon »La Niña«, which in turn is related to the falling water temperature of the Pacific Ocean.
dam/AFP
