Colombia earthquake death toll climbs to 281, more than 12,000 homes destroyed
Active rescue operations continued in western Colombia on Thursday following a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that has killed 281 people.
The updated death toll came Thursday from Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella who said 3,971 people have been injured and the number of those still missing stands at 379.
In the most recent damage assessment presented earlier Thursday, David Santiago Tamayo, director-general of Colombia's Disaster Risk Management Unit, said that more than 12,000 homes were destroyed and more than 74,000 residences were damaged by the earthquake that struck Monday in western Colombia.
Tamayo said more than 170 buildings collapsed in the quake.
In addition to homes and other structures destroyed or damaged, Espriella said on Wednesday that a pedestrian bridge collapsed and 20 road bridges were affected by the massive tremor. More than 200 roads were also damaged by the earthquake, he added, as well as five airports and 44 aqueducts.
"The impact is enormous and requires great determination and political will on the part of the government to, on the one hand, make the necessary investments in those areas to rebuild homes, support the victims and provide relief to so many Colombians who suffer today," de la Espriella said.
Among those who died in the earthquake was a woman from Bergenfield, New Jersey, who was crushed by a collapsing building after she ran inside to rescue one of her daughters, according to New York station WABC.
Some of the hardest-hit regions of Colombia include the cities of Pereira in the Choco region and Cali in the Valle del Cauca area.
A 32-year-old woman was pulled from the rubble alive on Wednesday after being trapped for more than 36 hours in Pereira.
The State Department said U.S. urban search and rescue teams comprised of about 40 people in total were deployed to Colombia on Wednesday to assist local first responders.
Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said in a social media post on Tuesday that the city, which has a population of more than 2.2 million people, recorded at least 95 people killed in the quake.
Rescue efforts have been centered in the south of the Cali, close to the Clinica Colombia health center, a residential area of the city. Hundreds of rescue workers and volunteers were digging through the rubble of a collapsed buildings where people were feared buried.
"Every minute counts in this race to save lives," Eder said in a social media post.
Among those involved in the rescue were soldiers of the Colombian army's Third Brigade. Troops deployed "a canine team, a thermal-capable drone and specialized equipment" in the Cali area, the unit said in a post on X.
Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, meanwhile, released a video of ongoing rescue operations in the Choco region. "In a race against the clock, supported by canines, physical and technological search, these men and women are searching for people alive," the unit said in a post on X.
The earthquake's epicenter was about 3 miles east of San José del Palmar, Colombia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
De la Espriella declared a national emergency and his government appealed for humanitarian aid.
The earthquake was the strongest recorded in the country in a decade, according to the Colombian Geological Survey. It was widely felt throughout Colombia and in neighboring countries, including Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama, it said.
Authorities also reported power, cell phone and internet outages in the aftermath of the earthquake.
