The explosion which was followed by spouting water from the mountains occurred on Sunday, destroyed about 70 acres of farm lands according to officials of National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO).

About five communities along the mountain including Kodiabe, Helekpe and Abuadi were affected. Residents say, they heard a loud noise from the heights on Sunday night and woke up later to meet the destruction on their farms.

The Assembly member for Adaklu-Helekpe told Citi News farm crops such as maize, palm oil, plantain, cocoa yam and cassava were destroyed by the fallen rocks and the erosion.

Located at the hips of Ho, the Volta Regional Capital, Adaklu Mountain is one of the highest mountains in Ghana with height of about 600 meters above sea level.  The mountain is used for tourism activities and serves as farming area for residents.

Terraced crops of farmers are often seen at the base of the mountain.

The recent disaster renewed speculations from residents about the effects of quarry activities along the mountains.  

The regional Coordinator of NADMO, Mr Devine Bosson who was on assessment tour today [Thursday], told Citi News although no causalities were recorded, he is engaging experts to survey and examine the cause of the explosion.

Residents who now live in fears are calling for government’s intervention.

“We are pleading with government to come to our aide. Our crops have been destroyed and our livelihood is under threat. Government should also find out what accounted for the explosion and protect our lives against danger” a resident pleaded in the local Ewe language.

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By: King Nobert Akpablie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Hours of heavy rains overnight caused rivers to burst their banks, flooding homes with mud in Putumayo province.

An unknown number of people are missing. One army officer said the main local hospital was struggling to cope.

Mr Santos, who has travelled to the area, said troops had been deployed as part of a national emergency response.

The national fire service said at least 190 had been injured.

The region’s governor, Sorrel Aroca, told Colombian media that whole neighbourhoods had been buried.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES / COLOMBIAN ARMY

Jose Antonio Castro, mayor of the provincial capital Mocoa, told Caracol radio that the town was “totally isolated”, without electricity and water.

On arriving at the scene, President Santos told reporters, “My heart and the hearts of all Colombians are with the victims of this tragedy.”

An alarm had sounded as the river’s levels rose, leading many people to leave their homes for shelter, and avoiding wider loss of life, Colombia’s El Tiempo newspaper said.

Image copyrightCOLOMBIAN FIRE SERVICE

Image copyrightCOLOMBIAN FIRE SERVICE

The mudslides were caused by the rise of the Mocoa river and three tributaries, a representative of the National Disaster Risk Management Unit told AFP news agency.

Rescue services said 17 neighbourhoods had been affected and Mr Castro said his own house had also been destroyed.

“The mud is up to the roof,” he told Caracol radio. Two bridges were also swept away, he said.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES / COLOMBIAN ARMY

The region, bordering Ecuador and Peru, is heavily dependent on agriculture and the petroleum industry.

While landslides and heavy rains are common in the mountainous area, March was Colombia’s rainiest month since 2011, according to the state meteorological agency.

In neighbouring Peru, more than 90 people have died since the start of the year because of unusually heavy rainfall, which also caused landslides and flash floods.

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Source: BBC

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