Death toll from Colombia landslide rises to 28

BOGOTA - The death toll from a weekend landslide in the southwestern Colombian province of Cauca has risen to 28 people, the country's disaster relief agency said on Monday.

The landslide, caused by heavy rains, occurred early on Sunday morning in a rural area of Rosas municipality.

"In the last two days we have recovered 28 bodies. Rescue operations will restart in the morning," the disaster relief agency said on Twitter late on Monday.

At least five people were hospitalised and eight houses were destroyed.

A portion of the Pan-American Highway was also blocked by the landslide.

Landslides are common in mountainous Colombia, especially during rainy season and in areas where precarious informal housing and narrow roadways are constructed on deforested Andean hillsides.