The Colombian government is considering relocating its embassy in Japan to Korea or China following the destruction caused by last Friday’s earthquake, WRadio reported Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin told the radio station she will be “talking to the president with a view to moving it [the embassy] to either Korea or Beijing.”
Holguin also announced plans to repatriate between 100 and 150 Colombians affected by the quake and explained that the government is considering hiring a plane or chartering an Avianca flight to get those affected by the disaster back to Colombia.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website, there are 1,820 Colombians registered in Japan. Of those, 27 reside in the areas most affected by the quake. The embassy has already succeeded in making contact with 24 of them. Efforts are still being made to contact the others and the website provides various helpline numbers for Colombians trying to trace friends and family in Japan.
Meanwhile the Colombian ambassador to Japan, Patricia Cardenas, expressed her concerns about the threat from the nuclear reactor in the north of the country and urged any Colombians located nearby to move south, away from the reactor.
The death toll of last week’s eathquake’s has risen above 3,700. No Colombians have been confirmed dead so far.