16 departments and 494 municipalities affected by country’s most devastating quake
The earthquake, which struck Columbia at 7.34 am local time (1234GMT) on August 10 left a trail of devastation behind it. Photo: AA
The death toll from a catastrophic magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia has risen to 331, according to an updated report released on Tuesday by the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
The agency said 240 people remain missing, while 4,449 have been injured and 364 people have been rescued alive. In total, 406,273 people from 188,034 families have been officially registered as affected across 494 municipalities in 16 of Colombia’s 32 departments.
The earthquake, which struck at 7:34am local time (1234GMT) on August 10, was the most powerful seismic event to hit Colombia this century. Its epicentre was located near San Jose del Palmar in the Pacific department of Choco at an intermediate depth of roughly 110 kilometres.
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The disaster has caused extensive damage to homes and public infrastructure across western Colombia. According to figures provided by the UNGRD on Tuesday, 33,275 homes have been completely destroyed, while 185,889 others have sustained damage.
Health, education and essential services have also been severely affected. The UNGRD reported damage to 376 health centres, 3,819 educational facilities and 4,337 community facilities.
Transport and water infrastructure have suffered significant disruption, with 440 roads, 74 vehicle bridges, 17 pedestrian bridges, five airports and 119 water-supply systems affected.
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The earthquake has also taken a toll on animals, with 2,149 affected and 2,949 rescued, according to the latest assessment.
The UNGRD said the figures remain preliminary and are being consolidated by local authorities and operational agencies as emergency response and damage assessments continue.
The earthquake
On August 10, the quake struck just days after Abelardo De La Espriella was sworn in as president, thrusting the new administration into its first major crisis, with memories still fresh of devastating twin earthquakes in neighbouring Venezuela in June.
A day later, Reuters said at least 111 people were killed after the powerful earthquake struck western Colombia early on Monday, knocking down buildings across several cities and injuring 87 others, with still more residents trapped in the rubble.
Read more: Powerful Colombia earthquake kills at least 111
It further said that the 7.4-magnitude quake, according to the US Geological Survey, struck at a depth of 107 kilometres near San Jose del Palmar, in Choco, a sparsely populated province on Colombia’s Pacific Coast, but was felt in major cities nationwide.
The death toll from the deadly earthquake rose to 314 by August 20, according to a report released a week ago by the UNGRD.
The agency confirmed that emergency teams were still searching for missing persons, while the number of injured climbed to 4,437.
Around 364 people were rescued alive from the rubble, and in total, 262,154 people were officially registered as affected across 471 municipalities in 15 of Colombia’s 32 departments.
