MOCOA, Colombia - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday sent a message of condolence to his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos over the deadly flooding and landslides that hit the Latin American country on Saturday.

Xi said he extended his deep sympathies to the victims and their families on behalf of the Chinese government and people as well as in his own name.

Xi offered aid and assistance with post-disaster reconstruction, adding that he also believed that the Colombian people would overcome the aftermath of the disaster and rebuild their homeland under the leadership of Santos and his government.

The devastating mudslides in the town of Mocoa killed at least 254 people including 43 children, Santos said on Sunday, as survivors described gruesome scenes amid the ruins.

Santos, who traveled to the southern town to personally oversee relief operations, warned the toll could keep climbing.

"Unfortunately, these are still preliminary figures," he wrote on Twitter, after giving an earlier toll of 210.

"We offer our prayers for all of them. We send our condolences and the entire country's sympathies to their families."

Survivors and rescuers kept up a bleak search for victims in the muck and debris.

Santos declared an emergency to speed up aid operations.

Health authorities said they had dispatched sanitation specialists in hopes of preventing outbreaks of disease.

Santos said four emergency water treatment plants would be set up "to avoid an epidemic and an even bigger public health crisis."

Xinhua-AFP