A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia less than 72 hours after President Abelardo de la Espriella was inaugurated, killing more than 260 people, injuring thousands, and devastating cities and towns across the region, according to the report.
Magnitude 7.4 earthquake kills more than 260 in Colombia days after new president sworn in
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia less than 72 hours after President Abelardo de la Espriella was inaugurated, killing more than 260 people, injuring thousands, and devastating cities and towns across the region, according to the report.
De la Espriella, 48, declared the disaster an economic emergency and announced three days of national mourning before touring the worst-affected areas. The government said the office of the president — not the National Disaster Risk Management Unit — would serve as the sole source of official updates, including the death toll, a decision that has slowed the flow of information to journalists and the public.
Firefighters were the first responders to reach affected areas, followed by Civil Defence officials and other emergency services. Humanitarian aid was flown from Bogota and other cities to disaster zones, and temporary shelters were erected for displaced residents. Within 24 hours of the quake, heavy machinery, cranes, and excavators were operating in Cali, Pereira, and other affected cities. In smaller and more isolated communities, however, residents were still removing rubble by hand, with many areas remaining without power or basic services.
On Tuesday, the government announced temporary relief measures for families in Risaralda, one of the hardest-hit areas, including rent subsidies and a three-month suspension of utility payments for affected residents.
The response has been complicated in part by what the source describes as a failed transition from the outgoing administration of former President Gustavo Petro. The National Disaster Risk Management Unit is operating with an acting director from the previous government working alongside a new team, a situation the source says has left the agency in a state of limbo, with officials from two politically opposed administrations required to cooperate amid what the source describes as deep polarisation following one of the closest elections in Colombian history.
Some communities near the epicentre in Choco, described as one of Colombia's poorest districts, are located in dense rainforests and lack proper road access. Those areas have historically suffered from state neglect and armed conflict, and communications there remain difficult, making it hard to establish the full scale of damage. Aviation authorities closed six airports, dozens of roads were affected by landslides, and several floors of a prominent hospital in Cali collapsed, requiring approximately 600 patients to be relocated to temporary tents. Multiple other medical facilities were also reported damaged.
- The source does not state the precise date or local time the earthquake struck.
- The source does not identify the acting director of the National Disaster Risk Management Unit by name.
- The source does not specify the total number of injured.
- The source does not state the current counting status of the death toll or identify the body reporting it.
- The source does not name the hospital in Cali where floors collapsed.
- The source does not state the dollar value or total volume of humanitarian aid deployed.
- The source does not provide a response or statement from former President Gustavo Petro or his administration regarding the transition described.
Read the original at Al Jazeera English