People carry belongings on a flooded street in Monteria, Colombia on February 9, 2026. (Photo by AFP)Colombia declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after floods killed 18 people and left thousands of families displaced in the country’s northern cattle belt. Water submerged homes after a dam and rivers overflowed in Cordoba, one of the worst-hit departments, where more than 150,000 residents have been affected. The floods have destroyed more than 4,300 homes and submerged vast swathes of the country used for grazing and agriculture, authorities said. Colombia’s disaster relief agency had reported 22 deaths nationwide on Monday, but later revised the figure down.

Source: Punch February 12, 2026 08:07 UTC