At least 27 people were killed when a landslide engulfed a road in northwest Colombia, trapping people in a bus and other vehicles said President Gustavo Petro on Monday.

"It is with sadness that I must announce that, so far, 27 people, including three minors, have lost their lives in the tragedy" that struck on Sunday in a remote area of the Pueblo Rico municipality, Petro wrote on Twitter. On Sunday evening, the president reported three dead, as dozens of rescue workers searched for survivors.

One survivor said the driver of the bus managed to dodge the worst of the landslide. "Part of it was coming down and the bus was a little bit back from that. The bus driver was backing up when it all came crashing down," Andres Ibarguen told radio station Lloro Stereo.

The bus had set out from the city of Cali with 25 passengers, civil defence officials said. The rainy season that began in August is Colombia's worst in 40 years, according to the government, causing accidents that have left more than 270 people dead.