BOGOTA, Colombia — Rescue teams are racing against time in western Colombia after a devastating earthquake hit the region early Tuesday. The powerful tremor has claimed at least 111 lives, with many still feared trapped under the ruins of collapsed buildings in countless cities and towns.
On Monday, a formidable 7.4 magnitude earthquake shook cities such as Cali, Quibdo, and Pereira, inflicting severe damage. Reports indicate approximately 1,600 structures have either crumbled or sustained damage. To aid in rescue efforts, soldiers, emergency workers, and civilians are joining forces, painstakingly clearing large blocks of concrete by hand in a determined bid to reach the buried.
In an address on Monday afternoon, President Abelardo de la Espriella confirmed the tragic death toll had risen to at least 111.
Across the region, frantic families have turned to citizen-run websites, desperately posting pleas for information on missing relatives. By the end of Monday night, the missing person count had soared to over 2,700, deepening the crisis.
Among the missing is 60-year-old farmer Miguel Ángel Zamora, whose photograph, shared by his niece Dana Carolina Zamora, shows him tenderly cradling his beloved dog. Miguel lived in the rural outskirts of El Cairo, perilously close to the earthquake’s epicenter near San Jose Del Palmar.
Local authorities said 80% of El Cairo, a town of about 7,000 people, was damaged. Zamora said she worried because her uncle lived in a traditional but fragile house made of sticks and mud.
“We are afraid. We hope that is not the case, that he is all right and that it is only a communication failure. But we haven’t heard anything from him,” Zamora said.
Choco, the region surrounding the quake’s epicenter, is one of the poorest and most neglected regions of Colombia, often beset by warring armed groups. Much of Choco is accessible only by boat, through the jungle or by airplane. Little was known about the extent of the damage there.
De la Espriella traveled to Choco’s capital, Quibdo, on Monday night to assess the damage and announced he had mobilized “the entire military and police apparatus” to respond, deploying engineers, rescue workers and search dogs. He announced rental subsidies for those whose homes were damaged while they undergo repairs.
“Choco will never again be the ‘land of the forgotten,'” he said.
The earthquake presents the first major test for de la Espriella, who was sworn in as Colombia’s leader on Friday. De la Espriella is a divisive figure because of his pledge of an all-out crackdown on criminal groups.
The U.S. State Department announced it would provide $15.5 million for emergency shelter, food and other aid. Governments across Latin America also lined up to help.
The earthquake left many in the Andean nation unnerved after two back-to-back quakes devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 6,300 people.
Many Colombians were only beginning to grapple with the disaster’s longer-term consequences.
Mónica Sánchez owns a small company that makes work uniforms. Her home city, Pereira, was one of the worst hit, and a wall inside the factory collapsed. Sánchez and her 12 workers were able to get outside just in time.
“It was shocking – the city fell down around us,” she said.
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