Heavy rains produced an "avalanche of water" in southeastern Colombia early Saturday, as a river overflowed and mudslides inundated homes, killing more than 100 people while they were sleeping.
While they waited, they watched the destruction in their city below - trees uprooted, cars picked up and carried downstream, houses destroyed and streets covered in thick mud. There is little drinking water and no power, which forced authorities to suspend the search and rescue effort during the night.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos flew to Mocoa, declared the city a disaster zone and gave a lower death toll of 193 via Twitter.
Bodies have been put in a temporary morgue and medical examiners are working around the clock to identify them. With most of the community deep in slumber when the water avalanche began, many residents did not have enough time to climb on top of their roofs or seek safety on higher ground.
"Around here, there's nobody. Everybody left", she said.
"There are lots of people in the streets, lots of people displaced and many houses have collapsed", retired Mocoa resident Hernando Rodriguez, 69, said by telephone.
More than 250 have been killed in southwest Colombia after landslide buried homes while residents were asleep.
Eduardo Vargas says he was only able to flee with his wife and 7-month-old baby because neighbors banged on his door to alert him.
It said FARC members were prepared to help rebuild the town.
He added that the region received almost 500 millimeters of rain in March, which he said is about 80% more than the usual amount for the month.
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"Whether they are dead or alive, I just want to see them", she said through tears.
As rescuers assessed the full scope of the damage, many residents in Mocoa continued a desperate search for friends and relatives.
Herman Granados, an anesthesiologist, told AP that he worked throughout the night on victims. The hospital was quickly running out of supplies and didn't have enough blood on hand to treat patients, he added. So he called over and over by phone but got no answer.
Authorities rushed to bring in critical supplies even as families and rescue workers scrambled through debris in search of victims and any remaining survivors.
Several children have been reunited with their parents; many children are in shelters, he said.
In Mocoa, people looking for their loved ones walked along the river banks or went back and checked in repeatedly at the hospital, hoping to find answers.
"There were bodies all over", he said.
When he finally reached the neighbourhood where his in-laws live he found "just mud and rocks".
But eventually he found his relatives on the mountain with a group of other survivors.
"They were hit by the strongest avalanche", said Vargas, the owner of a clothing store who was so exhausted from the search effort that he could barely open his eyes or speak.
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