“The river took out everything in its path,” survivor people said after disaster. Black Hawk helicopters and rescuers crews evacuated residents near the ravine. The bodies of those killed were transported to Medellin to be identified because Salgar lacks the proper facilities to store so many corpses at once. President Juan Manuel Santos traveled to the town to oversee relief efforts. “Nobody can bring back the dead … but we have to handle this disaster as best we can to move forward” he said to encourage the residents in the area. Santos declared a public calamity to adequately attend the disaster. One of the greatest needs in Salgar right now is drinking water because the avalanche took down some of the piping of the aqueduct.
