An image that Colombia residents referred to as the "figure of Jesus" reportedly appeared above a city that was recently ravaged by a landslide.
People from Manizales witnessed and recorded in photos and videos what looked like rays of sunlight escaping through the clouds above a mountain named Sancancio, Mail Online reported. The rays of sunlight, when viewed from afar, looked like a giant figure of a man with arms wide open.
The residents took comfort in the apparition and took it as a sign that God heard them.
About two weeks ago, Manizales was hit by a landslide that killed at least 17 people and left many others missing. The calamity, which happened when many people were asleep, destroyed some houses built on the hills and caused the temporary suspension of electricity, gas and water services.
The landslide occurred after a month's worth of rain fell on the city overnight, causing Manizales to be cut off by "rock slides, mudslides, floods," the BBC reported.
Last week, with the tragedy still fresh in their minds, crowds gathered outside to capture what they said was the image of Jesus. A woman named Marya de Jesus recorded a video of the scene and uploaded it on Facebook, where it quickly went viral.
"Jesus Christ was visiting today his people of Colombia. I cry out to heaven and was heard," the caption on the video said. "God bless us and give glory to the Lord and King of the universe. Bless you Lord."
The video shows people clapping and rejoicing at the sight.
According to Mail Online, some people could be heard in the background exclaiming, "Do you see the Lord there, standing up?"
"Look at this, look at this, blessing God. Glory to the Lord," others said. "Oh, my God, my blessed God, come here to see the misery."
While the grieving people of Manizales found reprieve in the image, others dismissed it as a natural phenomenon that commonly occurs in other places.
"This is a natural phenomenon with the light of the sun through different types of cloud," Noe Bazan, a netizen who reacted to the video, commented. "It happens in all parts of the world."
A few weeks ago, Colombia was ravished by another flood that sent water, mud and debris streaming through the city of Mocoa. More than five inches of rain fell on the city during the night, causing the rivers to swell.
"The rain fell on Mocoa with an intensity and force that was without precedent and devastating," Colombia Pres. Juan Manual Santos said, according to CBS News. "It rained in two hours what falls in a month in Bogota."
Many people whose homes were near the river were affected by the flood, and about 300 people, more than 40 of whom were children, died from the devastation.
