At least six Colombians died in the earthquake that hit Ecuador on Saturday and killed more than 270. Another 75 Colombians are still missing in the neighboring country.
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the Colombian fatalities and said that it received 139 requests to locate Colombians who were in Ecuador at the time of the M7.8 earthquake.
Since Saturday, 64 of these Colombians have been located while international rescue workers go through the rubble in the hope to find survivors of the devastating earthquake.
Ecuador President Rafael Correa said early Monday morning he expects the death toll of the earthquake to rise further, increasing fears that more Colombians might be found dead underneath the rubble caused by Ecuador’s most deadly disaster in almost 70 years.
Drone footage from Portoviejo, Ecuador
Ecuador has received aid from a number of countries, including Colombia that sent dozens of rescue workers, two dogs and nine tons of emergency aid to its southern neighbor.
Saturday’s earthquake was so strong that it could be felt in large parts of Colombia, causing panic in the southwest of the country.
Nevertheless, no injuries or significant damage were reported on the Colombian side of the border.
Both Ecuador and Colombia are frequently hit by earthquakes because of their geological location on default lines that go through the Andes mountain range.