The death toll from a landslide that struck northwest Colombia on Tuesday has risen to 14, with 12 people still missing, several injured, and nearly 1,000 left homeless, local authorities confirmed on Thursday.

Search and rescue teams are working around the clock in the affected El Pinar neighborhood in the city of Bello, hoping to find survivors, Mayor Lorena Gonzalez said at a press conference.

"The operation continues. We remain hopeful of finding people alive," Gonzalez said, urging residents to evacuate houses in high-risk areas.

Carlos Rios, head of the disaster and risk management agency for the department of Antioquia, warned that ongoing heavy rains and unstable terrain continue to pose a threat of additional landslides.

"It is important to stress that the rain is not going to stop," he said, adding that special alarms and cameras have been installed in the area to provide advance warning of potential landslides to crews recovering bodies and searching for the missing.

The Colombian Defense Ministry said personnel with sniffer dogs are assisting in search and rescue efforts, while the army is helping evacuate families from high-risk areas.

xinhua