Colombia Earthquake: Death Toll Rises To 265 As Rescuers Race Against Time To Find Survivors

Edited
by:
Rob
Tu e

Rescue s
wo ked
th ough
a
thi d
st aight
ight
with
time
ticki g
towa ds
the
72-hou
ma k
si ce
a
powe ful
ea thquake
hit
Colombia.
That’s
the
pe iod
aid
age cies
co side
most
c itical
fo
fi di g
su vivo s
alive,
though
it
ca
st etch
lo ge
if
t apped
people
have
access
to
food
a d
wate .

“We’ e
e te i g
the
fi al
phase,”
Cali
Mayo
Aleja d o
Ede
said,
addi g
that
su vivo s
could
still
be
fou d
afte wa d
but
that
the
odds
g ow
steadily
wo se.
He
said
c ews
we e
still
detecti g
sig s
of
life
be eath
the
ubble
a d
u ged
speed:
“Eve y
mi ute
is
vital.”

The
latest
o
the
Colombia
ea thquake

The
death
toll
f om
the
quake
has
climbed
to
265,
P eside t
Abela do
de
la
Esp iella
said
Wed esday.

De
la
Esp iella
said
oughly
3,500
people
have
bee
i ju ed
a d
ea ly
500
emai
u accou ted
fo ,
though
a
c owdsou ced
t acki g
site
used
by
families
put
the
umbe
of
missi g
fa
highe ,
at
mo e
tha
4,100.
Mo e
tha
25,800
families
have
bee
affected
i
total,
he
said.

The
mag itude
7.4
quake
—
the
st o gest
to
hit
Colombia
i
decades
—
st uck
o
Mo day
mo i g
ea
Sa
Jose
del
Palma
i
the
o thweste
Choco
egio .
It
to e
th ough
cities
ac oss
weste
Colombia,
with
Cali
a d
Pe ei a
amo g
the
ha dest
hit,
alo g
with
Ma izales
a d
Quibdo.

I
Cali,
volu tee
escue
Joha a
Sa chez
desc ibed
teams
pausi g
eve y
30
mi utes
to
liste
fo
su vivo s.
“So
fa ,
th ee
people
have
bee
pulled
out
alive
a d
th ee
dead,”
she
told
AFP.

Officials
say
140
buildi gs
collapsed
e ti ely
a d
thousa ds
of
homes
we e
damaged
o
dest oyed.

Families
g apple
with
huma
toll

I
Palmi a,
Sa tiago
Llo eda
told
Reute s
the
quake
killed
his
mothe
a d
his
13-mo th-old
daughte ,
Salma,
who
was
too
you g
to
have
fi ge p i ts
o
file
a d
would
eed
to
be
ide tified
th ough
DNA
testi g.
He
desc ibed
his
mothe
as
the
family’s
ca etake ,
sayi g
she
“gave
eve ythi g
up
to
look
afte
the
baby.”

A
ma
who
o ly
gave
the
ews
age cy
his
fi st
ame,
Rica do,
t aveled
f om
Miami
to
ecove
his
siste ‘s
body
a d
said
his
iece
was
awaiti g
su ge y
fo
a
f actu ed
skull,
jaw
a d
leg,
a d
a
collapsed
lu g:
“She’s
alive.
We
k ow
she’s
goi g
to
get
bette .”

Thousa ds
have
bee
left
homeless,
with
ma y
sleepi g
outdoo s
i
pa ks
o
eme ge cy
shelte s
set
up
i
schools
a d
spo ts
a e as,
eithe
because
thei
homes
we e
dest oyed
o
out
of
fea
of
afte shocks.

Colombia’s
geological
se vice
has
eco ded
130
afte shocks
si ce
Mo day’s
quake.

I te atio al
aid
set
to
pou
i

Respo se
effo ts
have
bee
especially
difficult
i
Choco,
the
quake’s
epice te ,
a
emote
a d
impove ished
egio
al eady
st ai ed
by
decades
of
co flict
a d
displaceme t.
Additio ally,
lost
cell
se vice
has
made
it
ha d
to
assess
damage
i
commu ities
eachable
o ly
by
ive .

“This
ea thquake
compou ds
a
al eady
seve e
huma ita ia
situatio ,
a d
the e
is
a
eed
fo
i c eased
suppo t
fo
the
huma ita ia
espo se,”
said
Giova i
Rizzo,
Colombia
di ecto
fo
the
No wegia
Refugee
Cou cil.

A d
UN
eside t
coo di ato
Ma ía
Jose
To es
said
i
a
stateme t
Tuesday
that
aid
g oups
al eady
wo ki g
i
the
egio
o
a
ea lie
peace
effo t
we e
able
to
pivot
quickly
to
disaste
elief.

The
U ited
States
has
pledged
mo e
tha
$15
millio
a d
se t
espo se
teams.
Mexico
has
se t
milita y
ai c aft
ca yi g
ea ly
20
to s
of
food
alo g
with
secu ity
pe so el,
with
mo e
aid
a d
escue
specialists
o
sta dby.
El
Salvado ‘s
p eside t
offe ed
two
pla es
ca yi g
100
to s
of
supplies,
a d
a
sea ch-a d- escue
team
f om
Mexico
said
it
a ived
di ectly
f om
Ve ezuela,
which
faced
its
ow
majo
ea thquakes
i
Ju e.

Quake
espo se
p ovides
test
fo
ew
Colombia
p eside t

De
la
Esp iella,
i augu ated
just
th ee
days
befo e
the
ea thquake
st uck,
decla ed
a
eco omic
eme ge cy
a d
th ee
days
of
atio al
mou i g,
a d
pledged
to
establish
a
fu d
to
ebuild
hospitals,
schools,
homes
a d
i f ast uctu e.

“This
is
u doubtedly
a
t agedy
of
imme se
p opo tio s,”
he
said.
“Ou
effo ts
a e
focused
o
those
who
emai
missi g.”
He
has
ot
yet
detailed
what
the
eco omic
eme ge cy
measu es
will
i volve.

Notably,
de
la
Esp iella
wo
office
o
a
platfo m
of
educed
public
spe di g
a d
a
toughe
secu ity
app oach.
A alyst
Tizia o
B eda,
of
the
co flict-mo ito i g
g oup
ACLED,
told
Reute s
that
de
la
Esp iella
had
campaig ed
i
pa t
o
cutti g
fu di g
to
the
cou t y’s
disaste – espo se
age cy
—
the
same
u it
ow
leadi g
the
eme ge cy
effo t.

Expe ts
have
cautio ed
that
mo e
seismic
activity
is
possible,
if
ot
immi e t.
“Let’s
emembe
that
Colombia
is
full
of
active
fault
li es,”
Rod igo
Leo
Loya,
a
seismologist
at
the
U ive sity
of
the
A des,
told
AP.
“The
questio
is ‘t
whethe
it
ca
happe
agai .
The
questio
is
athe
whe
a
ea thquake
of
simila
mag itude
will
occu
at
a othe
of
Colombia& squo;s
seismic
sou ces,”
he
wa ed.

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