Colombia quake kills 224, leaves 700 injured

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At least 224 people have been killed after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, with rescue teams continuing to search collapsed buildings for survivors on Tuesday.

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The earthquake struck at 7:34 am local time on Monday, with Cali, Pereira and parts of the Choco region among the worst affected areas.

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Authorities warned that the death toll could rise as emergency teams reach more affected communities and assess the extent of the destruction.

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Cali authorities reported 35 deaths, while officials in the Risaralda region, where Pereira is located, confirmed at least 40 deaths. Nine people were also reported killed in Choco, two in Caldas and one in Antioquia.

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At least 700 people were injured in Valle del Cauca alone, according to President Abelardo de la Espriella, who declared a national state of emergency and said the government’s priority was to rescue people trapped under rubble.

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More than 1,600 buildings were reportedly damaged or destroyed, including parts of a historic cathedral in Manizales.

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Several upper floors of a hospital in Cali also collapsed, trapping some patients and forcing about 600 others to receive treatment outside amid the debris.

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Rescue operations continued overnight and into Tuesday, with soldiers, firefighters, emergency workers, volunteers and relatives searching through collapsed buildings.

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In Cali, volunteers formed human chains to remove concrete and other debris by hand, while rescue teams repeatedly stopped to listen for survivors.

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Firefighters rescued two women and two children from a collapsed building, while rescuers in Pereira were reportedly in contact with a boy trapped beneath a bakery as cranes were used to remove unstable sections of the building.

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Authorities have also deployed engineers, rescue workers and search dogs to Choco, where the scale of the destruction remains unclear because many communities are remote and difficult to reach.

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The United States Geological Survey identified San Jose del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people, as the epicentre. The area is about 400km west of the capital, Bogota.

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Colombia’s Geological Service reported 21 aftershocks by late Monday and warned that further tremors were possible.

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The rescue effort has been complicated by the geography of Choco, where some communities can only be reached by boat or aircraft.

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The government has also imposed nighttime curfews in Cali, Armenia and Manizales, while hospitals in five cities were placed on red alert.

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Operations at airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura were suspended temporarily to allow structural inspections.

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Authorities postponed the Petronio Alvarez Music Festival in Cali, which was scheduled to begin on Wednesday, as well as professional football matches.

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International assistance has also begun. The United States announced $15.5m in emergency aid for shelters, food and other relief, while the European Union activated its Copernicus satellite service to support rescue operations.

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El Salvador and Mexico also offered to provide rescue teams, medical personnel, supplies and other assistance.

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Rescuers are expected to face a critical window in the coming hours as they continue searching for people trapped beneath the rubble.

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