Colombia Quake: Bogota to Coordinate Multi-State Rescue Operations
Colombia's president says Bogota will coordinate rescue efforts after a 7.4 earthquake killed at least 111 people in the west.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced on Monday that Bogota will serve as the central hub for coordinating rescue operations across regions affected by the powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia.
Speaking from the capital, de la Espriella emphasized that rescuing people trapped under debris is the immediate priority. He called on state authorities to relay all official incident reports to the central command in Bogota.
In addition to the main coordination center in the capital, the president said unified control outposts have been established in the cities of Armenia, Quibdo, and Cali. Information gathered at these regional posts will be forwarded to the central PMU in Bogota for processing.
Army engineers have been deployed to Cali, one of the cities most affected by the quake. Footage showed soldiers arriving by airplane and offloading equipment to support the rescue effort.
The earthquake, which struck on Monday, has killed at least 111 people and injured 87 others. Around 1,600 buildings have been damaged, including at least 61 that completely collapsed. The U.S. Geological Survey placed the epicenter in San Jose Del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in the Choco region, roughly 400 kilometers west of Bogota.
Beyond Cali, the quake caused widespread damage in Pereira, Quibdo, and Manizales. Tremors were also felt in neighboring Ecuador and Panama. In Cali, search teams and volunteers worked through the rubble of destroyed buildings, passing concrete pieces down human chains in hopes of finding survivors.
President de la Espriella has declared an emergency to expedite funding for recovery efforts and stated he will visit the disaster zone.