Flooded families move into cemetery

Flood victims in a northern Colombian town have been forced to move to the only dry land they could find - the local cemetery.

The 260 families of La Loma, Colombia, were forced out of their houses after days of heavy rain left them uninhabitable.

"The water level has reached an extremely high level. The people had to go to the cemetery. They are living there because it is the highest ground. We hope the national government can help us," said resident Alberto Criado.

Families said they had been living in the graveyard for ten days. Children were filmed playing among the headstones and monuments.

Rainfall caused by the ocean phenomenon La Nina has left at least 154 dead and has affected about 1.3 million residents. It has caused landslides and flooding in 28 of Colombia's 32 states.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has applied for an emergency loan from the World Bank of $150 million to help victims.

Mr Santos said that $25 million from funds confiscated from drug traffickers will be used to fix some of the damage the rain has left.