On the evening of April 1st, torrential rain began to pour from the sky in the Colombian city of Mocoa. In only a few hours 129mm of water would fall, swelling the nearby Mocoa, Mulato and Sangoyaco rivers. The expanding mass of water burst through the banks, sending a sea of mud, debris and water rushing through the city of Mocoa. Seventeen neighbourhoods were submerged, and the neighbourhood of San Miguel was swept away entirely.
As families slept, the torrent smashed into houses and their inhabitants. 283 people, including at least 43 children, were killed. Hundreds more were injured. The number of dead continues to rise.
