The Colombian Government of President Abelardo de la Espriella issued a “declaration of emergency” due to the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that affected several regions of the country and where more than 100 deaths have been recorded so far.
“At 12:30 (17:30 GMT) we had 111 deaths, 87 injured, 1,575 homes damaged, 37 completely destroyed, 61 buildings collapsed, 18 health centers and 52 educational centers damaged,” said the Colombian president, Abelardo de la Espriella.
"It was agreed to declare the corresponding emergency situation that will be signed during the day. We did not bring together all the ministers and officials of the unit and other instances to approve this declaration of emergency that will help us deal with this natural disaster in the appropriate manner," said the Colombian president during a message.
The president added that 18 roads were affected by the earthquake, as well as seven airports -Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, Cali and Buenaventura -, which suffered damage to their infrastructure and remain closed and without operation for commercial flights.
De la Espriella will travel this afternoon to Quibdó, capital of Chocó, the department that was the epicenter of the earthquake, to “personally” attend to the emergency, while other members of his cabinet will travel to the department of Valle del Cauca and the Eje Cafetero, the areas most affected by the earthquake.
"The first thing is the rescue of the people who are under the rubble. That is the priority," said the president, who is on his third day in office after taking office last Friday, August 7.
Minutes after the earthquake occurred, Abelardo de la Espriella had convened an emergency committee to address the damage caused by the earthquake and announced that he would travel to the city of Pereira to accompany those affected.
"I have ordered the installation of a Unified Command Post to coordinate the care of the damage and the victims," ​​said the president who took office three days ago in Cali, on the social network X, and added: "They are not alone. The State is present and acting."
The earthquake was felt in Bogotá, Cali, Popayán, Manizales, Armenia, Pereira, Medellín and other cities in the center and west of the country, as well as in Panama and Ecuador. The coffee-growing area of ​​central Colombia was one of the most affected by the earthquake.
Pereira, Cali, Manizales, Quibdó and Armenia concentrate the most critical situations, with dead, injured and trapped people, as well as collapsed buildings and damage to hospital infrastructure, airports, public services and transportation systems.
The earthquake this Monday, August 10, occurred at 7:34 local time (12:34 GMT) and had as its epicenter the town of San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, in the Pacific region, and at a depth of 82 kilometers, according to the Colombian Geological Service.
Evacuations in Panama and strong shocks in Ecuador
Several regions in eastern Panama were shaken by this earthquake, according to the preliminary report of the Panamanian Institute of Geosciences, which caused the evacuation of buildings and hospitals in the capital and other locations in the country.
In Panama, the vibrations lasted between 40 seconds and one minute, according to the authorities of the Institute of Geosciences of the University of Panama (state) and were felt in the province of Darién and the Guna Yala region, bordering Colombia.
In Ecuador, the earthquake was felt in several provinces, including Pichicha, whose capital is Quito, where it was felt especially strongly in tall buildings.
Meanwhile, in several areas of the Andean province of Imbabura, neighboring Carchi province (border with Colombia), citizens felt the tremor strongly and left their homes with caution, according to what residents of the sector informed EFE.
International support for Colombia
The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, offered rescue teams and doctors to Colombia this Monday through a message on
The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, also offered her Government's support to Colombia: “Of course, all the support that the people of Colombia require, if necessary, we will be there,” said the president during her morning press conference.
Venezuela, which has not yet recovered from the earthquake it suffered in June, offered Colombia the sending of rescuers and humanitarian aid. The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado also expressed her solidarity with Colombia
The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, also offered the support of his country, which “is ready to support” the Colombian people. EFE
