Rescue operations in western Colombia stretched into a second day on Tuesday as emergency crews worked tirelessly to unearth people from the rubble of collapsed structures. The devastating earthquake, the country’s most intense in decades, left many fearing that the death toll could climb even higher.
A powerful earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale struck the region late Monday, setting off a desperate scramble in multiple cities to locate and rescue survivors.
President Abelardo de la Espriella, who has been at the helm for just three days, assured from Bogota that the national government remained fully engaged. “We are committed to using all resources at our disposal to safeguard lives, support affected communities, and ensure aid reaches every region in need,” he affirmed.
As confirmed by the Colombian Association of Capital Cities, the catastrophe has claimed at least 132 lives so far. The group plays a key role in coordinating efforts across Colombia’s major urban centers.
The epicenter of the quake was located in the country’s coastal Choco region at a depth of 100km. Officials in this economically struggling area have reported 13 fatalities.
The nearby city of Pereira was one of the worst-hit areas, with local authorities earlier announcing that at least 66 people had died.
The quake crumpled a tower of a beloved cathedral in the city of Manizales.
“A great many buildings” in the city sustained damage, administrative worker Jaime Zuluaga, 50, said.
“Traffic is paralysed and people don’t want to go back to their homes for fear of an aftershock.”
‘Missing people’ trapped beneath the rubble
At least 20 buildings crumbled in Colombia’s third-largest city, Cali, trapping people beneath the debris, mayor Alejandro Eder said.
Choco’s governor warned of serious damage in the provincial capital Quibdo, where videos showed more buildings reduced to rubble.
“We are all devastated,” Quibdo community leader Luis Gregorio Moreno told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.
“At this moment there are reported deaths, dozens of wounded, but what there are most of are missing people,” he said.
Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela also felt the early-morning quake, which prompted building evacuations in the Colombian capital, Bogota.
Still wearing their pyjamas, crowds of people rushed out into the street upon feeling the tremor, AFP reporters saw.
“The quake was very, very strong,” said content creator Valeria Polo, 29, in the capital, where only minimal damage was recorded.
Six small airports in western Colombia suspended operations, the civil aeronautics agency said, and the soccer governing body postponed upcoming football matches.
The United States was “closely monitoring the large earthquake that struck Colombia and stands ready to support the people of Colombia,” US secretary of state Marco Rubio said in a post on X.
European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was “ready to provide more support” to the South American country.
“We have already mobilised Copernicus, our satellite service, to help with rescue operations,” she wrote on social media.
Mexico, Ecuador and France also offered assistance.
Latin America is already reeling from two disastrous quakes that struck Venezuela in June, killing more than 6,000 people and causing widespread destruction.