Page 5 - MIN JUS - MAY 19 , 2015
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WORLD NEWSTuesday 19 May 2015
Flood, mudslide swamp homes in Colombia, 52 dead Reduced child
abuse verdict
LUIS BENAVIDES ed Press, adding that never from an open trunk. rise. Dozens have suffered causes uproar
Associated Press in 34 years living next to the President Juan Manuel light injuries and an un- in Argentina
SALGAR, Colombia (AP) ravine had he suspected Santos, who traveled to known number of people
— An avalanche of mud such a tragedy was pos- the town to oversee relief are still unaccounted for. BUENOS AIRES, Argentina
and debris roared over sible. efforts, said several chil- Colombia’s rugged topog- (AP) — Two Argentine judg-
an alpine town in western “The river took out every- dren lost their parents and raphy, in a seismically ac- es are under fire for reduc-
Colombia before dawn thing in its path,” the con- the bodies of those killed tive area at the northern ing the sentence of a con-
Monday, killing at least struction worker said, in- needed to be transported edge of the Andes, com- victed child abuser on the
bined with shoddy con- grounds that his 6-year-old
Residents rescue belongings from houses damaged during an avalanche in Salgar, in struction practices, has victim had suffered earlier
Colombia’s northwestern state of Antioquia, Monday, May 18, 2015. At least 49 people were made the country one abuse and therefore had
killed when a mudslide triggered by heavy rains swept away homes before dawn. of Latin America’s most already been traumatized.
disaster-prone. More than In the newly publicized
(AP Photo/Luis Benavides) 150 disasters have struck 2014 ruling, the judges cut
the country over the past the sentence of Mario Tolo-
52 people in a flash flood cluding the back part of his to Medellin to be identi- 40 years, claiming more sa, a sports club vice presi-
and mudslide triggered by home. fied. As giant diggers were than 32,000 lives and af- dent, from six years to 38
heavy rains. The disaster hit around 3 removing debris he vowed fecting more than 12 mil- months. They ruled that his
Residents were stirred from a.m. local time (4 a.m. EDT; to rebuild the lost homes lion people, according to acts should not be consid-
bed in the dead of the 0800 GMT) in the town of and provide shelter and as- the Inter-American Devel- ered “gravely outrageous”
night by a loud rumble and Salgar, about 60 miles (100 sistance for the estimated opment Bank. The tragedy in legal terms because the
neighbors’ shouts of “The kilometers) southwest of 500 people affected by the in Salgar appeared to be boy already “was making
river! The river!” as modestly Medellin. calamity. the single deadliest event a precocious choice” of
built homes and bridges Dozens of rescuers support- “Nobody can bring back since a 1999 earthquake in his sexuality, apparently a
plunged into the Libordi- ed by Black Hawk helicop- the dead ... but we have to the city of Armenia that left reference to homosexual-
ana ravine. Survivors barely ters evacuated residents handle this disaster as best hundreds dead. A wave ity.
had enough time to gather near the ravine for fear of we can to move forward,” of flooding during the 2011 Other attorneys criticized
their loved ones. another mudslide. A red fire Santos said. rainy season left more than the decision and the Ar-
“It was rocks and tree truck could be seen haul- Authorities said that 52 peo- 100 dead. gentine Federation of Les-
trunks everywhere,” Diego ing away several bodies, ple were confirmed dead Luz Maria Urrego, 74, said bians, Gays, Bisexuals and
Agudelo told The Associat- their bare feet dangling but that the number could she escaped certain death Trans has demanded the
because she had traveled judges be removed from
to Medellin for the long the bench for a ruling it
holiday weekend. She said said placed a 6-year-old
her brother was killed along victim “in the position of a
with his children and grand- suspect.” One of the two
children. judges, Horacio Piombo,
“I said to my wife ‘let’s hold defended the ruling Mon-
each and hope that God day in interviews with Ra-
saves us,’” said Jorge Quin- dio La Red and the televi-
tero, a local resident, de- sion station Todo Noticias,
scribing to RCN TV how he saying that before Tolosa
was trapped between two molested him, the child
raging currents that had already had suffered “the
taken with it two homes initiation by his father into
on either side of his own. the worst of worlds, leading
“I know God gave us his him to depravation.”
hand because here we He said that “as a result
are, alive, still frightened, of that experience with
but alive.”q the father, the child had
showed “signs of a trans-
Behind bars, ex-mayor wins Venezuela primary vestite conduct, of con-
duct we had to take into
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) coalition primaries. They wave of street protests that later this year. It sees the account.”
— Daniel Ceballos may be chose 42 of the 167 can- were fed in part by anger vote as its best chance in Piombo said the nearly
in jail, but he’s also on the didates who will compete over crime, inflation and years to win a majority in year-old ruling had been
ballot for Venezuela’s leg- against the governing so- shortages. the country’s legislature. leaked in an attempt to
islative elections. cialist party. The coalition is hoping that Other candidates are be- discredit him and his col-
The former mayor of San Ceballos was arrested last dissatisfaction will carry ing selected in negotia- league Benjamin Ramon
Cristobal is among the win- year for refusing to help the over into the ballot box tions among leaders of the Sal Llargues.q
ners of Sunday’s opposition government put down a when elections are held 29-party coalition.q
