Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Salgar (Agenzia Fides) - The town of Salgar, devastated between 18 and 19 May by a huge landslide caused by a flood, yesterday celebrated the funerals of 33 victims. On Monday, May 18 the flood razed the village of Las Margaritas and hit three districts in the urban perimeter of Salgar, department of Antioquia (Colombia). Salgar is located 265 km northwest of Bogota.
The funeral was held in the main square of the town of Salgar by the Bishop of Jerico, His Exc. Mgr. Noel Antonio Londoño Buitrago, C.SS.R., with the participation of thousands of people, who lost friends and relatives. The governor of Antioquia, Sergio Fajardo; former president and senator Alvaro Uribe, and the police chief, Gen. Rodolfo Palomino were among those present at the funeral.
Amid the tragedy there was a light of life, a symbol of life, said Mgr. Londoño during the homily, because an 11-month-old child survived the disaster. He was found surrounded by mud, sticks and stones, five kilometers from where his house was.
The Administrative Department of Disaster Prevention (Dapard) of Antioquia announced an initial assessment of the tragedy: 84 dead, 57 wounded, an undefined number of people missing, hundreds of homeless. Aid agencies are working to find the missing, but there is little chance of finding someone alive. Through the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis expressed solidarity with Colombia and to the victims of Salgar and offered "prayers to the Lord for the eternal rest of the dead". (CE) (Agenzia Fides 22/05/2015)
