Early efforts to search and rescue are ongoing in numerous cities and towns across western Colombia. A significant earthquake early Tuesday struck the region, resulting in over 111 casualties and trapping many individuals under the wreckage of damaged and destroyed structures.
The earthquake, measured at a magnitude of 7.4, impacted cities including Cali, Quibdo, and Pereira, among others. Reports indicate around 1,600 buildings are either damaged or have collapsed. On the ground, soldiers, rescue teams, and families work together, manually clearing debris to find survivors. President Abelardo de la Espriella confirmed the death toll at 111.
Families are actively searching for missing relatives, using citizen-managed websites to share information. By Monday evening, the number of missing individuals surpassed 2,700. Among those missing is Miguel Ángel Zamora, a 60-year-old farmer from El Cairo, whose niece, Dana Carolina Zamora, shared an image of him and expressed concern. The town of El Cairo, near the epicenter in San Jose Del Palmar, suffered extensive damage, with 80% of the area affected.
“We are afraid. We hope that is not the case, that he is all right and that it is only a communication failure. But we haven’t heard anything from him,” said Zamora.
The region of Choco, where the earthquake’s epicenter is located, is a neglected area with poor infrastructure, often plagued by conflict. Accessibility is challenging, with limited routes via boat, jungle paths, or aircraft. The full scale of the damage remains largely unknown. President de la Espriella visited Quibdo, Choco’s capital, on Monday night to assess the situation, deploying military resources, engineers, and search teams. He promised aid, including rental subsidies for displaced residents.
De la Espriella stated, “Choco will never again be the ‘land of the forgotten.’” The earthquake is the first significant test for the president after taking office last Friday. He is a contentious leader due to his commitment to crack down on criminal entities.
International assistance is arriving, with the U.S. State Department announcing $15.5 million to aid emergency relief efforts. Latin American governments are also stepping in to offer support.
This disaster follows recent quakes in Venezuela that caused severe destruction and loss, leaving Colombians uneasy about long-term repercussions. Mónica Sánchez, who owns a work uniform manufacturing company in Pereira, one of the severely affected areas, recounted the devastation.
“It was shocking — the city fell down around us,” Sánchez said. Her business experienced damage when a factory wall collapsed, but she and her employees escaped safely.