Cesar Uruena, a Red Cross rescue director, said the landslide buried more than 14 homes in the city of Manizales in Caldas state, 165 kilometers (102 miles) northwest of the capital, Bogota.
Rescuers have reports of 14 people dead and 13 injured, Uruena said.
“We are talking about an average of 60 people missing. This could be a bit speculative, but the number is high,” Uruena told The Associated Press by telephone.
He said that because of the many people listed as missing, rescuers would continue the search through the night.
Caldas emergency services director Sandra Lopez said heavy rains pounded the area the night before and caused a part of a mountain to collapse onto the houses.
As a preventive measure, authorities are asking that 35 homes near the landslide site be evacuated.
