Bogota - A landslide in Medellin - Colombia's second-largest city - left a total of 28 dead, the authorities said Tuesday as they called off the search for survivors.

The body of a 14-year-old girl was the last to be found under the rubble of 18 destroyed houses following the landslide, which took place Saturday.

The destroyed homes were in a poor neighbourhood on a hillside and got carried away as the ground - saturated as a result of heavy rains - gave way underneath them. A further 15 people were injured.

Colombia has been afflicted with heavy precipitation for weeks. Officials have estimated that over 175,000 have been impacted by the flooding nationwide since the middle of March.

Infrastructure, roads, powerlines and agriculture have suffered significant damage. According meteorologists, rainfall could persist until the end of next week. (dpa)