Abelardo De la Espriella Mobilizes Military And Police After 7.4 Quake Leaves 3,000 Missing In Colombia

A magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, leaving over 3,000 people missing and many trapped under debris as search and rescue efforts resumed Tuesday in dozens of cities and towns.

“Search and rescue efforts resumed Tuesday in dozens of cities and towns in western Colombia after a powerful earthquake left over 3,000 missing”

NewsNation

In Cali, Pereira, Choco and Manizalez, Mayors and governors said at least 179 people had died, while the federal government’s last update after the quake said at least 111 deaths.

21News

The quake’s epicenter was near San José del Palmar in Chocó, and the Colombia Geological Service said it began at 7:34 a.m. Monday at a depth of approximately 103 kilometers.

President Abelardo De la Espriella, inaugurated just days earlier, traveled to Quibdo on Monday night and announced he was mobilizing “the entire military and police apparatus” to respond, deploying engineers, rescue workers and search dogs.

In Pereira, Jairo Vargas said he drove 220 kilometers from Medellin hoping to find his brother alive, but he feared his sibling did not survive as heavy machinery rumbled through soft debris.

As rescuers worked through damaged neighborhoods and communications slowly came back online, the UN humanitarian office OCHA said 126 people had been confirmed dead and 1,495 injured as of Monday night, while local estimates on Tuesday put the toll around 224.

Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara told Blu Radio, “We are … focused on the immediate task of saving lives, guaranteeing the arrival of rescue teams, bringing in medical supplies and field hospitals,” as teams dug through shattered concrete.

Al Jazeera

In Cali, residents waited beside rubble for signs of life, and hospital director Irne Torres Castro told Caracol Television that several top floors of a hospital collapsed, leaving some patients trapped and 600 others tended to on a street strewn with rubble.

The earthquake also prompted curfews and restrictions, with the BBC reporting that in Pereira authorities enforced curfews Monday night to prevent looting and banned privately owned vehicles from circulating to clear the way for ambulances, police and rescue workers.

In the capital, Bogota, crowds rushed into the street after feeling the tremor, and Valeria Polo, 29, said, “The quake was very, very strong,” while only minimal damage was recorded.

The disaster left infrastructure damaged across western Colombia, with civil aviation authorities closing six airports—Quibdo, Pereira, Manizales, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura—due to damage, while dozens of roads were reported affected.

“The United States said it had allocated $15.5 million US for emergency shelter, food, protection and damage assessments”

CBC

International assistance began to arrive, including the United States announcing it would provide $15.5 million for emergency shelter, food and other aid, and the Inter-American Development Bank saying it had made $50 million US immediately available for reconstruction support if requested.

In Chocó, where much of the region is accessible only by boat, through the jungle or by airplane, President De la Espriella said Choco would never again be the “land of the forgotten,” as he mobilized engineers, rescue workers and search dogs.

Colombia’s Geological Service said the quake was followed by 54 aftershocks measuring 2.8 and 4.8 magnitude, and authorities warned the death toll could take days to establish as search teams reached more affected areas.

In the hardest-hit areas, the stakes were immediate and ongoing: CBC reported that electricity, water, health care and phone service remained disrupted in several areas, especially in Choco near the epicentre, complicating rescue efforts and aid delivery.