The rains hit hardest in the Narino department bordering Ecuador, where floods and mudslides have taken 20 lives since Saturday, Governor Jesus Romero told AFP Wednesday.

Five people died in the department capital of Pasto alone, while 15 other people perished in rural areas.

Romero said 11 people have been reported missing and are presumed to lie buried under mudslides.

The Disaster
More than half of Colombia, or 22 of its 31 departments, has been seriously affected by floods, landslides, avalanches and heavy seas due to torrential rains on and off since October last year. The rains have been caused by the Pacific Cold Phenomenon, or La Niña. In addition, Hurricane Lenny hit Colombia’s Atlantic coast, causing damage in three departments. According to the Civil Defence this is the worst flooding in Colombia in the last 25 years.

In a hard-hitting report published today, Save the Children calls for urgent action to protect the 13 million children known as "internally displaced" - who have been forced from their homes by war but remain within the borders of their own countries.