Colombia earthquake: Over 2000 missing, hospitals, schools hit as 21 aftershocks follow – top developments
At least 132 people were killed and 570 others injured after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia on Monday, according to the Colombian Association of Capital Cities.By Monday afternoon, people had begun reporting loved ones missing on digital databases, as they had after previous earthquakes in Venezuela. One database listed more than 2,000 missing people, most of them from Cali and Pereira, with the number continuing to rise.Pereira was the worst-hit city, reporting 60 deaths, the association said after a disaster response meeting with President Gustavo Petro.Pereira, a city of around 500,000 people, lies less than 64 km from the earthquake’s epicentre. Tremors were felt across several parts of Colombia, including the capital Bogota, where alarms sounded and people evacuated buildings and gathered on the streets as a precaution.President Abelardo de la Espriella said 1,577 residential buildings had been damaged, while 37 others were completely destroyed. More than 60 buildings had collapsed, with 18 health centres and 52 schools also damaged, The New York Times reported.The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the earthquake at around 7.34 am (local time), with the epicentre near San Jose del Palmar in Colombia’s Choco area, about 280 kilometres west of Bogota, at a depth of 107 kilometres, CNN reported.
Earthquake disrupts flights across Colombia
The earthquake also disrupted air travel across western Colombia, with several airports closed or operating under restrictions as authorities assessed damage to infrastructure.The civil aviation authority said airports serving Pereira, Manizales, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura were being used only for medical and government flights while inspections were underway. Operations at Quibdó were also affected by the quake.The restrictions posed additional challenges for emergency services, particularly in remote areas of Chocó, where damaged infrastructure and difficult terrain could hinder rescue teams from reaching affected communities.Aviation authorities said their teams were supporting local officials, including by providing firefighting and search-and-rescue capabilities, while engineers inspected airport facilities.Passengers affected by cancellations or disruptions were advised to contact their airlines. Authorities said normal operations would resume once the infrastructure was deemed safe, as the airport restrictions underscored the wider disruption caused by the earthquake across western Colombia.
Patients trapped in Cali hospital
Several patients were trapped under rubble after parts of a hospital in Cali, western Colombia, collapsed following the earthquake, according to local officials.Sections of Cali’s University Hospital, including the pediatrics department, “have collapsed,” Valle del Cauca Governor Dilian Francisca Toro told local media. “Consequently, there are people trapped,” she said in a video posted on X, adding that firefighters and the army were “working to get them”.About 30 per cent of the hospital’s infrastructure has collapsed, including three floors housing pediatrics, internal medicine and part of the neonatal unit, hospital manager Irne Torres Castro told reporters.At least four people have been rescued from the rubble, according to the Cali government. Several patients were evacuated and treated in the hospital gardens, while others were transferred to nearby health facilities.The University Hospital was among several healthcare institutions in Cali that were closed and evacuated after sustaining structural damage, the local government said.
United States to provide aid
The United States will provide $15.5 million in aid to Colombia for shelter, food, protection and earthquake assessments following the magnitude 7.4 quake that struck the country on Monday, the State Department announced on X.“We are united in prayer with the Colombian people and stand ready to support President (Abelardo de la Espriella) and his government as they assess the needs on the ground,” the State Department said.
A nation prone to earthquakes
Colombia lies along the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences thousands of earthquakes each month, most of them minor. The Colombian Geological Service said 21 aftershocks had been recorded by late Monday and warned that more tremors were possible.The country’s coffee-growing region was devastated by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in 1999, which killed more than 1,000 people, with Armenia and Pereira among the worst-hit areas.
