- The 7.4 magnitude earthquake on Monday was the strongest to hit Colombia in over the past decade, according to the director of the country’s geological service.
- At least 132 people have died and 570 have been injured as a result of the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck in western Colombia, according to the Colombian Association of Capital Cities.
- Rescue workers searched through the night for survivors amid the rubble of collapsed buildings, including in Cali, where firefighters recovered two men and one woman and two children were still trapped.
- The earthquake caused structural damage in several parts of Cali, with a local official warning that hospitals and schools had been 'badly affected.'
- The US is providing aid to Colombia for shelter, food, protection and earthquake assessments, and is also assisting American tourists, according to the State Department and the embassy in Bogota.
- The epicenter was located in Chocó, an underdeveloped area of western Colombia, about 150 miles west of Bogotá, where more than two-thirds of the population live in poverty.
- The quake also shook the “Coffee Axis” region, where dozens of people died in Riselralda and cities reported extensive damage.
- The earthquake occurred just over a month after two quakes killed more than 6,300 people in neighboring Venezuela, but the geological contexts are different, according to expert Gustavo Ortiz.
At least 132 people have died and 570 have been injured following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia, marking the strongest seismic event in the country in over a decade. The quake's epicenter was located in Chocó, an area where more than two-thirds of the population live in poverty.341213
Rescue workers have been tirelessly searching through the rubble for survivors, with reports indicating that 60 deaths occurred in Pereira alone. The Colombian Association of Capital Cities has warned that these figures are likely to rise as rescue operations continue. Dozens of emergency workers, police officers, and volunteers are working to reach every affected area, with some local officials noting that hospitals and schools have been badly affected.
The earthquake was felt strongly in Bogotá, prompting evacuations as alarms sounded. The tremor also impacted the Coffee Axis, a vital agricultural region, leading to extensive damage in cities throughout the area. Firefighters have rescued several individuals from collapsed buildings, but reports indicate that two children remain trapped under the rubble.
In response to the disaster, the US State Department has offered assistance for shelter, food, and earthquake assessments, highlighting the international concern for the affected communities.
“The quake's epicenter was in Chocó, an underdeveloped region where over two-thirds live in poverty, and it shook the Coffee Axis, killing dozens in Riselralda. The US is providing aid for shelter, food, and assessments, while experts note the geological context differs from Venezuela's recent deadly quakes.”
