A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Colombia yesterday, resulting in significant casualties and widespread destruction.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, citing international media reports, the death toll from the disaster has risen to 132.
In addition to the fatalities, more than 700 people have sustained injuries. Authorities have declared a state of high alert in the cities of Pereira, Cali, Quibdó, Manizales, and Armenia, where the most severe damage and loss of life have been recorded. To ensure public safety and facilitate emergency operations, a curfew has been imposed in these areas.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing without interruption. Pereira has been identified as the hardest-hit area, with 60 fatalities reported. Local authorities have received reports of 188 missing persons, raising concerns that the death toll may increase as rescue teams navigate the rubble. In Cali, the country's third-largest city, the earthquake caused severe damage to infrastructure, rendering 10 hospitals non-operational and destroying several key roadways.
Emergency response teams from the capital, Bogotá, and Medellín have been deployed to the affected regions to assist in the recovery efforts. In Quibdó and Manizales, the seismic activity has caused critical disruptions to essential services, including water, electricity, telecommunications, and transportation networks. Efforts to locate and rescue individuals trapped under the debris remain the primary focus of the ongoing emergency response.
Colombia is situated in a seismically active region along the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it prone to frequent earthquakes. The country's geological positioning often necessitates robust disaster preparedness and rapid response protocols to mitigate the impact of such natural disasters on its urban centers and infrastructure.
