Mexico has prepared a contingent of 255 soldiers specialized in search and rescue, as well as tons of medicines, food and equipment to deploy to Colombia as soon as it receives a formal request for help from the Government of that country, after the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that occurred on Monday and left hundreds dead and injured.

Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, Secretary of Defense, explained during the presidential press conference that the Army activated the so-called 'Cali Group', which "would be a group very similar to the one that supported Venezuela."

The contingent, the official explained, would be headed by a general and made up of 255 soldiers, including search and rescue specialists, canine teams, and health and medical personnel.

The operation also includes the shipment of four tons of medicines and 8.4 tons of tools and rescue equipment, as well as satellite phones, radios, electric generators and tents.

The head of Defense specified that Mexico has 8,798 pantries and 13,890 food baskets ready to ship, in addition to medical aid.

The plan of the Ministry of National Defense (Defense) foresees transferring the personnel and part of the material in two Boeing planes, while the rest of the humanitarian aid would travel in a Hercules C-130 plane and a Spartan of the Mexican Air Force.

The planned destination is the Alfonso Bonilla Aragón international airport, which serves the Colombian city of Cali.

However, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum clarified that the deployment still depends on an official request from the Colombian authorities.

“We are waiting for the formal request from the Government of Colombia, we are ready for the moment when they tell us to be able to go help,” said the president.

The preparation of the contingent occurs after Sheinbaum instructed the Mexican Armed Forces to enlist personnel and resources to support Colombia, within the humanitarian assistance policy that Mexico has deployed in response to emergencies in other Latin American countries.

The Mexican Government has on other occasions used specialized military teams to provide international aid in the face of disasters and emergencies, through search, rescue, medical care and supply distribution contingents.

Trevilla indicated that the 'Cali Group' would have similar characteristics to the contingent previously deployed to provide humanitarian assistance in Venezuela and affirmed that all personnel and supplies are prepared to leave once Colombia formalizes the request for support.

The earthquake in Colombia, in which at least 240 have died so far, was felt at 07:34 local time (12:34 GMT), had its epicenter in the municipality of San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, at a depth of 103 kilometers, and caused damage in much of the center and west of the country.

Pereira, Cali, Quibdó, Manizales and Armenia are the main cities that remain on red alert due to the magnitude of the damage, and in total they have at least 165 collapsed buildings. EFE

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