Mudslide kills at least seven on Colombian highway

A mudslide killed at least seven people and buried more than 10 others along a mountainous stretch of Colombia's main highway between Bogota and Medellin, authorities said on Wednesday.

The avalanche of mud and rocks, triggered by recent heavy rains, spilled across four lanes of the highway and knocked out power lines, according to a statement from the government of Antioquia province.

Rescue workers were still searching for possible survivors among the people unaccounted, the statement added. The road, in Copacabana municipality near the western city of Medellin, is likely to be closed for several days, officials said.

Many parts of Colombia have entered the rainy season, a time of year when swollen rivers often break their banks in the Andean nation and mudslides destroy homes or block mountain roads.