Update: President Higgins writes to Colombian president after overflowing river kills 154 people

Latest: President Michael D. Higgins has written to the President of Colombia, expressing his sympathy following the deaths of 154 people.

Update: President Higgins writes to Colombian president after overflowing river kills 154 people

Update 9.30pm: President Michael D. Higgins has written to the President of Colombia, expressing his sympathy following the deaths of 154 people.

The letter to Juan Manuel Santos expresses his sympathies to the victims of the landslides in the Putumayo region, to their families and to all those affected by the tragedy.

President Higgins recently made an official visit to Colombia, during which he had bilateral meetings with President Santos.

The Presidents discussed a number of issues, including the work of Roger Casement, who worked in the Putumayo region, during a period in the early 20th century.

Update 9pm: The president of Colombia says the death toll from an avalanche of water in Mocoa has risen to 154.

Update 8pm: An avalanche of water from three overflowing rivers swept through a small city in Colombia while people slept, destroying homes and killing at least 127 residents, authorities have said.

According to the Red Cross, 400 people are injured and 220 believed missing.

President Juan Manuel Santos declared a state of emergency and warned the death toll could rise.

"We don't know how many there are going to be," he said of the fatalities when he arrived at the disaster zone. "We're still looking."

Witnesses described feeling buildings vibrate and though an alarm reportedly went off to alert residents, it could not be heard throughout the city.

Videos residents posted online showed vast areas filled with wooden planks and debris.

Some could be heard calling out the names of people missing.

"In the middle of the night and this morning people lost loved ones," interior minister Juan Fernando Cristo said.

"They lost families, boys, girls, young people, the elderly."

The Red Cross planned to set up a special unit in Mocoa to help relatives search for their loved ones.

"In this moment, it's chaos," said Oscar Forero, a spokesman with the Colombian Red Cross. "There are many people missing."

Herman Granados, an anaesthesiologist at the local hospital, said he arrived early on Saturday morning and worked throughout the night on victims.

Mr Granados said the hospital does not have a blood bank large enough to deal with the magnitude of the crisis and was quickly running out of supplies.

He said some of the hospital workers came to help even though their own relatives remained missing.

"Under the mud," he said, "I am sure there are many more."

- AP

Latest 7.30pm: The Colombia Red Cross said 127 people are dead, 220 are missing and 400 were injured in a water avalanche.

Latest 6pm: At least 112 people have been confirmed dead after a river overflowed triggering an avalanche of mud and water that swept through a small city, Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos said.

President Santos arrived at the disaster zone on Saturday and warned the death toll could rise even further as the search for survivors continues.

The incident triggered by torrential rain happened around midnight in Mocoa, a city of 350,000 located near Colombia's border with Ecuador.

Earlier: Twenty-four people died when an avalanche of water from an overflowing river swept through a city in Colombia destroying homes and killing people while they slept, officials said on Saturday.

The incident triggered by intense rains happened around midnight in Mocoa, a city of about 350,000 located near Colombia's border with Ecuador, tucked between mountains and at the crux of two rivers.

Muddy water and debris quickly surged the city's streets, toppling homes, ripping trees from their roots, lifting cars and lorries and carrying them downstream.

With most of the community asleep when the water avalanche began, many residents did not have enough time to climb on top of their roofs or seek safety on higher ground.

Herman Granados, a surgeon at the local hospital, said he believed there are likely to be more than 300 people injured and that doctors were quickly running out of blood. He suspected the death toll would rise.

"Under the mud, I am sure there are many more," he said on Saturday after working throughout the night on patients.

President Juan Manuel Santos was traveling to the region and called on the military and disaster authorities to respond to the disaster.

"Our prayers are with the victims," he said in a statement.

Witnesses described feeling buildings vibrate as the flood began. Although an alarm reportedly went off, it could not be heard throughout the city, survivors said.

Videos that some residents posted online showed vast areas filled with wood planks and debris. People could be heard calling out the names of missing loved ones.

"There are many people looking for their relatives," said Oscar Forero, a spokesman with the Colombian Red Cross.

The Red Cross planned to set up a special unit in Mocoa on Saturday afternoon to help relatives search for their relatives.

- AP

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