AKIPRESS.COM - A massive landslide tore through a ravine in north-west Colombia on Monday before dawn, killing at least 61 people and injuring 37, the authorities said, reports AFP.

Most residents were sleeping when the landslide hit the municipality of Salgar around 3am, burying a large area in mud and debris.

The rush of mud and water "tore down everything in its path", Salgar Mayor Olga Osorio told RCN Radio.

The small town of Santa Margarita was practically "wiped off the map", she said.