11:12 AM
The municipalities of the Southwest of Antioquia that were eagerly awaiting this long weekend to continue reactivating their tourism have had a bad time. The rains this week have cut off several main corridors of the subregion to the point that many inhabitants of the Southwest through social networks have described the situation as similar to the chaos they experienced during the harshest part of the winter season in 2022 when they were practically isolated from the department.
According to the report updated as of Friday morning, June 28, there are total closures of the Bolombolo-Peñalisa roads, after a landslide occurred at kilometer 44+800 in the Peñalisa sector in the early hours of this Friday. The alternate routes that travelers can use, according to Devimar, are Peñalisa-La Pintada, Peñalisa-Puente Andes-Amagá.
There’s also total closure in more than 50 points on the Bolombolo-Santa Fe de Antioquia road and total closure of the road that connects Caramanta and Valparaíso, also due to landslides.
The situation is so critical that the Venice City Hall was forced to cancel the traditional Cerro Tusa Festival on Thursday, after the damage they suffered this week with landslides and emergencies. The Urrao festival could also suffer a repercussion due to the problems on the roads in the Southwest. It is worth remembering that this long weekend The imposing festivities of Cacique Toné are celebrated.
This celebration is a way of community integration to enhance the identity of the Venetians, a way of attracting tourists and, by chance, boosting the economy. That is why it has gained great strength in recent years in this town.
It is worth remembering that in the village of El Rincón a landslide occurred last Tuesday that left four people injured and two missing, in addition to 290 families who were affected by the loss of their belongings and the flooding of their homes. plus another 74 victims.
Some citizens on social networks have expressed their discontent with the management of the Antioquia Government to respond to these emergencies in a timely manner. And it is worth remembering that the rainy season of 2021 and 2022 exposed several critical points in the Southwest that required mitigation and adaptation works but that this is the time when they continue to cause problems.
It should be noted that according to figures from Dagran, the Southwest and East of Antioquia are the subregions with the highest number of landslides historically in Antioquia and during the rainy season they have an average of one serious landslide every five days.
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