Local and regional authorities have said that at least 227 people were confirmed killed in Monday’s earthquake while search and rescue teams continue to look for survivors.
So far, 120 people were confirmed dead in Valle del Cauca where locals said that entire towns in the north of the province were all but destroyed by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the Choco province on Monday.
In Cali, the capital of Valle del Cauca, rescue workers continued to look for survivors under the rubble of apartment buildings that collapsed. Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder imposed a curfew in the city after locals chased him away from a search and rescue operation.
Choco Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba said that mayors from the capital Quibdo and 22 affected towns reported 14 deaths and 140 injuries.
Multiple parts of the western province have yet to be contacted, however, as the local energy and telephone grid were destroyed by the earthquake, said Cordoba.
In Pereira, a city located at only 60 kilometers of the earthquake’s epicenter, and the surrounding Risaralda province, at least 88 people had died and dozens were still missing.
All major cities in the coffee region, Choco and Valle del Cauca declared an emergency to deal with the hundreds of injured that required medical attention at one of the cities’ hospitals.
President Abelardo de la Espriella said Tuesday morning that the earthquake destroyed more than 5,000 homes and that 188 people were missing.
The National Army and fire brigades from across Colombia sent teams to the cities in the disaster area to help with local search and rescue missions.
The US Department of State said it had committed $15.5 million “in funding for emergency shelter, food, protection, and earthquake assessments” for Colombia.
The Chinese embassy in Bogota said that Chinese companies that operate in Colombia were “sending heavy equipment to the most affected areas of the earthquake, participating in rescue efforts and the clearing of debris, in order to rescue the affected population using all available means.”
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