7.4 Earthquake in Western Colombia Claims At Least 265 Lives, Deadliest Since 1990s
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit the Chocó province of Colombia on Monday, 10 August. Residents hundreds of miles from the epicenter felt the quake, which struck at a depth of 64 miles. Tremors were felt as far as neighboring Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela.
Authorities declared a state of emergency for the nation after the quake, which caused at least 265 deaths and injuries to at least 900 other people, according to Colombia’s Association of Capital Cities (Asocapitales). The earthquake is the deadliest to hit the nation since the 6.8-magnitude quake in June 1994, which resulted in 271 deaths.
Many of deaths linked to Monday’s earthquake were in Cali, the country’s third-most populated city, and about 200 km (124 miles) from the epicenter of the quake. The earthquake also damaged more than 11,000 buildings, with some razed to the ground. Other cities impacted by the quake included Manizales and Quibdo.
Rescue crews and volunteers continue to sift through building rubble, calling for quiet and trying to listen for survivors still trapped beneath buildings, Reuters reported. The first 72 hours after an earthquake are often called the “golden window”—the time when rescuers believe they can still find survivors trapped under rubble. After those 72 hours, the chances of someone surviving without water drop to zero. The morning of 13 August saw the end of those 72 hours since the earthquake.
According to Colombia’s president, Abelardo de la Espriella, nearly 500 people have been reported missing, while civilian-supported databases put the number at 4,100, according to the Associated Press (AP).
“Cali’s public health secretary German Escobar said the city’s morgue was now full and authorities were bringing more bodies off the streets,” Reuters said.
The epicenter of the quake was near San José del Palmar, a village in the province, although authorities did not report any deaths or injuries there. The epicenter lies both in the western region of the nation and in the Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped area bordering the Pacific Ocean, where tectonic plates slide over and against each other and account for the majority of the world’s earthquakes.
The U.S. Geological Survey is forecasting that there is a chance of at least one aftershock within the next week in the Chocó province, with a 79 percent chance that it would register at a magnitude of 4 or greater.
“The country's aviation authority has reported damage at several regional airports, including those in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura,” the BBC reported.
Cali’s authorities enacted militarized overnight curfews to prevent looting. Resources and efforts are already strained by the damage caused by the quake. Internet connectivity is inconsistent, and medical supplies and services for residents are sometimes unattainable, according to Reuters.
“The Pacific, particularly the Chocó region, is one of Colombia’s poorest, nestled in dense jungle,” the AP said. “Much of Chocó is only reachable by boat and plane, which may pose difficulty in assessing the wider toll.”
While rescue efforts in Cali, Manizales, and Pereira received additional support from the capital city of Bogotá, more remote areas have had to solely rely on what is locally available. De la Espriella announced that victims would receive temporary housing aid, but some residents told The Economist that this support has not yet arrived.
De la Espriella also declared an economic emergency to use funds for emergency response efforts. “His new government has inherited a mess in the key agency for natural-disaster response,” The Economist reported. “The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management is cash-strapped after being robbed by corrupt politicians and functionaries over the past few years.”
