7.4 Earthquake Kills At Least 164 in Western Colombia as Rescue Efforts Continue

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia early on Monday, killing at least 164 people and tearing through the country’s coffee-growing heartland, with rescue efforts continuing into a second day on Tuesday.

“killing at least 164 people”

Reuters

Reuters said the quake reduced multi-story buildings to rubble in cities such as Pereira and Cali, and cracked apart one of the towers of a historic cathedral in Manizales.

Al Jazeera

In Cali, home to about 2.2 million people, Reuters reported at least 85 people were killed, and it said several of the top floors of one of the city’s hospitals collapsed, leaving some patients trapped and forcing some 600 others to be tended to on a street strewn with rubble.

Hospital director Irne Torres Castro told Caracol television that the collapsed floors left patients trapped, while Cali resident Carmen Yasmin Garcia, 43, said her group freed seven people from a collapsed building but that four others and a dog remained trapped.

In Pereira, capital of the hard-hit state of Risaralda, authorities reported 66 dead, and Reuters described entire residential blocks reduced to piles of concrete and twisted steel.

Colombia’s President Abelardo De La Espriella, who assumed power just days earlier, said 35 people died in Cali alone while 188 were missing, and he said 1,000 members of the security forces would be deployed to the city by dawn following reports of looting.

Reuters quoted De La Espriella saying, "There are no distinctions or ideological divisions when it comes to defending our people or showing solidarity," as Cali and Pereira implemented curfews on Monday night.

BBC

The BBC reported that the magnitude 7.4 quake struck at 07:34 at a depth of 103km in Chocó province, and it said the epicentre was near the village of San José del Palmar.

BBC also reported that local mayor León Fabio Marín Moncada said there had miraculously been no deaths or injuries near the epicentre, despite roads in and out being damaged.

In Cali, the BBC said a curfew was in place until 05:00 local time on Tuesday, and it quoted Dan Cutler, 29, saying, "We sprinted outside in our pyjamas."

As the death toll was expected to rise, the BBC said the government declared a national disaster situation and created special powers to react to the emergency, including to reallocate budgets.

“creating special powers to react to the emergency, including to reallocate budgets”

BBC

The BBC reported that along with the dead, De la Espriella confirmed that more than 1,500 homes had been damaged, and it said the aviation authority reported damage at regional airports including those in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura.

Reuters said emergency teams worked through the night with excavators and, at times, their bare hands, hunting for survivors beneath debris, while it noted that curfews were imposed and residents were forced into the streets as buildings leaned or collapsed.

In a separate account, the Economic Times said the United States would provide $15.5 million in aid to Colombia for shelter, food, protection and earthquake assessments, and it quoted the State Department saying, "We are united in prayer with the Colombian people and stand ready to support President (Abelardo de la Espriella) and his government as they assess the needs on the ground."

The Economic Times also said the Colombian Geological Service recorded 21 aftershocks by late Monday and warned that more tremors were possible, keeping the focus on rescue operations and damage assessments.