DOSQUEBRADAS, Colombia, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- The death toll from a pipeline explosion and fire in central Colombia stood at 13 Saturday with 99 injured, 17 critically, authorities said.
Colombia Reports said the dead included a 6-year-old girl rescuers found in the rubble of homes destroyed by the explosion Friday.
Colombian Mining and Energy Minister Mauricio Cardenas told the newspaper El Tiempo heavy rains and subsequent landslides caused a rupture in the pipeline, which is operated by the state-owned oil company Ecopetrol. The company said in a statement it would assume all medical costs of the victims.
President Juan Manuel Santos said authorities would bear the responsibility of rebuilding about 40 homes destroyed by the explosion and subsequent fire.
Alfredo Munoz of the Dosquebradas Civil Defense, who confirmed the number killed and injured, told El Tiempo the relief agency ruled out the possibility of more people trapped in the rubble.
