At least 265 people have died and 3,500 have been injured in Colombia due to the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook the western part of the country on Monday, according to President Abelardo de la Espriella, in statements to the press in Bogotá. The president also announced the declaration of an economic emergency. “An entity will be created to channel national and international support,” he explained. Meanwhile, firefighters are advancing in search and rescue efforts for survivors. The government has appointed geologist David Tamayo as the new director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), the entity responsible for mobilizing teams and resources in the event of earthquakes or other calamities. In his first press conference, the official reported that the government will only accept rescuers from four countries allied with the president: the United States, Israel, Ecuador, and El Salvador. He justified that they meet the necessary international standards. Former president and opposition leader Gustavo Petro has questioned the decision. “It is a mistake to put an ideological filter on international aid,” he criticized on X.
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- PHOTO GALLERY | The earthquake in Colombia, in images
Earthquake in Colombia
Rain threatens the improvised shelters in Cali: “We have nowhere to go”
In Cali, life depends on it not raining. In front of a pile of rubble that until three days ago was a seven-story building, the neighbors of the Cuarto de Legua neighborhood cross themselves and look to the sky, as if salvation or doom could come from there. Others look up to the treetops, hoping the clouds will pass by. In the third most populous city in Colombia, and one of the most affected by Monday’s earthquake, at least two weeks have passed without a drop of water falling. Now, amid the worst emergency in decades in the city, the weather decides destinies: those of the displaced who spend nights outdoors, and those who may still be trapped under the rubble.
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Good morning. Here begins the live narration of the consequences of the earthquake that shook Colombia last Monday and has already left at least 265 dead, according to the announcement last night by President Abelardo de la Espriella.
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