Rescue workers in Colombia are working against the clock to free survivors trapped in buildings and under rubble following Monday’s powerful earthquake.
More than 180 people have been confirmed dead – most in the cities of Cali and Pereira.
The magnitude 7.4 quake struck at 07:34 (12:34 GMT) on Monday and was felt across an enormous area, stretching for hundreds of miles across western Colombia – with fresh aftershocks still being felt on Tuesday.
While the official death toll remains 181, an aggregated figure gathered from local officials puts it higher – potentially at more than 240. A state of emergency has been declared by President Abelardo de la Espriella.
He also reported that more than 1,100 homes had been destroyed, and more than 8,000 had been damaged.
Overnight on Monday into Tuesday, several people several people spent the night outdoors in cities like Pereira and Cali – either due to their homes being destroyed, or fear of further collapses.
Across the country, dozens of larger buildings have also collapsed.
In Cali, a city of 2.2 million people where there have been 95 deaths, a unified command post has been set up to co-ordinate the rescue effort.
On Tuesday, Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said that 239 people remained trapped, with 949 injured and 45 buildings which have either completely or partially collapsed.
Several of the upper floors of one of the city’s hospitals, some dedicated to paediatric care, collapsed, leaving some patients trapped.
In Calima, a neighbourhood in the north of Cali, four children died after a section of the Gimnasio Calima school collapsed.
The mayor of the municipality, Antonio Cadavid, stated that other children ended up with serious injuries, with a total of 30 children were referred to care centres.
To combat threats of looting, he has also ordered a curfew, coming into effect at 20:00 local time, and lasting until 06:00 on Wednesday morning.
Reuters
ReutersFurther tremors were felt in Cali on Tuesday – part of a pattern of aftershocks across the country, with more than 70 having taken place since Monday’s earthquake, according to Colombia’s geological service.
According to the agency, two earthquakes of magnitude 3.6 occurred early on Tuesday. The first was in San José del Palmar and the second in Santander.
In Pereira, 79 people have died according to the city’s fire department.
The city has implemented a car-free day to allow the search to go ahead, with citizens urged to comply.
Footage from the city has shown the massive scale of the rescue effort, with hundreds of volunteers working to remove rubble and free trapped survivors.
ReutersHours after the earthquake hit Pereira, a resident of the Parque Industrial neighborhood, near the city’s airport, told BBC Mundo about the shock being experienced in the area.
“It’s impossible to get around the city center. In BolÃvar Square (the city’s main square), at least one building collapsed. Furthermore, there are structures where buses and trucks are trapped, and people are afraid those structures will collapse as well,” he said.
“We’re all in shock. It was really awful.”
Jorge Eduardo Rojas, mayor of Manizales, said five people had been killed in the city.
Sixty buildings in Manizales had partially or totally collapsed.
Cautioning about further aftershocks, Rojas urged the public not to share chain messages or social media posts from unknown sources, as they “may contain false or unverified information… which could cause greater concern and alarm among the public”.
On Tuesday, help and support continued to be offered to Colombia from the international community.
A statement from a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, stated that he “expresses his solidarity with the people and government of Colombia” and that it working to support the government’s response.
Spain’s Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, reported that 164 Spaniards were still missing.
At the moment, he added, there are no reports of injuries or deaths of its citizens.
The Donald Trump administration, which backed President Abelardo de la Espriella in his successful election earlier this year, announced this afternoon a donation of $15.5m (£11.5m) to Colombia.
Offers of help have also come from Ecuador, Brazil, El Salvador, and Venezuela.
