Hurricane Joan Kills 4 in Colombia

At least four people have died and up to 50 are missing in floods in northern Colombia caused by heavy rains spawned by Hurricane Joan, officials said Tuesday.

Three people drowned, about 40 were injured and about 200 were houses destroyed by a raging river in Carmen del Bolivar, 40 miles from the Caribbean coast, police said. Officials said 50 people were missing and that most of the city was under water.

A child died and seven people were injured in Uribia on Guajira Peninsula, police said.

With winds of 80 m.p.h. as it churned away from Colombia, Joan veered onto a west-southwesterly path and was likely to strengthen over the southern Caribbean. But forecasters said it is not expected to approach the strength of Hurricane Gilbert, which took a heavy toll in a swath from Jamaica to Mexico last month.