With a single UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, the Colombian Air Force (FAC) managed to rescue 94 people (and 10 pets) who had been isolated after severe landslides in the municipality of Rosas, Cauca, in the southwest of the country.
🔴 Momento exacto en el que se caen cuatro viviendas y la escuela en la vereda La Soledad del Municipio de Rosas, Cauca.
📽️: @juanfotosadn pic.twitter.com/77NCbS01YQ
— EL TIEMPO (@ELTIEMPO) January 9, 2023
Due to the constant rains, a large landslide destroyed many houses, a school and isolated the area by cutting off the Panamerican Highway, one of the main land arteries of the country. About 100 families were affected and are being evacuated to safer areas and temporary shelters.
Since the locality was isolated and the mountainous terrain makes land access to the affected area difficult, the FAC sent a Black Hawk helicopter in Angel configuration (for Search And Rescue missions) to assist in the evacuation efforts.
94 people from the villages of Santa Clara, Alto de las Yerbas and Párraga Viejo (which are small semi-isolated agricultural communities of between 50 and 1000 inhabitants), who were facing an imminent risk, were evacuated thanks to the UH-60 helicopter of the Colombian Air Force, to a temporary shelter established by local authorities in the head of the municipality of Rosas, Cauca.
It should be noted that rains persist and the risk of new landslides is high. In addition, the people who were able to escape the imminent danger, did so “with the clothes on their backs”, losing all their assets and lacking the most basic means to ensure their subsistence.
Angel to the rescue
The aerial mission is carried out in coordination with troops of the Colombian Army, who guide the aircraft to different stable topographic points in the three villages, to land and evacuate as many people as possible (11 flights of this type were made yesterday). Sometimes the FAC helicopter had to use its rescue crane to lift the people, since the terrain conditions made landing impossible.
The “Angel” helicopter, on its second day of operations, flew for 5 hours and 30 minutes, managing to evacuate children, young people, the elderly and even more than 10 pets to safe ground; after mobilizing the people, the crews transported around 2 tons of humanitarian aid to the site.
Continúan las misiones humanitarias en Rosas, #Cauca, 94 personas de diferentes áreas rurales han sido evacuadas vía aérea por el "Ángel" de su @FuerzaAereaCol.#DaleClic ➡️ https://t.co/cxU7ZISwpq#MiFuerzaAérea🇨🇴#SiempreATuLado #CACOM7#HechosConAmor#ServirAMiPatriaEs pic.twitter.com/saMYJ1pVQS
— Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (@FuerzaAereaCol) January 11, 2023
Rescue efforts continue today, and the Angel and her crew will continue their essential work in support of the community.
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