Colombian authorities on Sunday raised the number of victims of Saturday’s earthquake in the southwest to 15, while affirming that nearly 1,900 homes have been damaged in the magnitude 7 quake.
The government of the Cauca department, the strongest hit by the earthquake, declared an emergency to release funds necessary to repair infrastructure and more than 300 homes that were damaged in the earthquake that was felt not only in Colombia, but also in neighboring countries like Ecuador and Venezuela.
MORE: M7 earthquake hits southwest Colombia; No reports of damages, injuries
According to Colombia’s disaster management unit, there have been reports of damage in 46 municipalities spread out over six departments.
The reports contradict President Juan Manuel Santos who — apparently prematurely — said Saturday that there had been no injuries and that damage was “marginal.”
MORE: Nobody injured in southwest Colombia earthquake: Santos
The earthquake victims were injured in the departments of Nariño, Cauca, Valle del Cauca and Risaralda.
“I would like to confirm that nobody died, or is missing, and there are no reports of serious injuries,” the director of the disaster management unit told press.
Saturday’s earthquake was the second strong earthquake to hit the region within half a year;
in September last year, a M7.3 earthquake shook the city of Popayan.
MORE: Strong M7.3 earthquake shakes southwest Colombia
