Colombia to create emergency fund after earthquake kills 265

Cali, Colombia. President Abelardo De La Espriella said on Wednesday that Colombia would establish an emergency fund to rebuild hospitals, schools, homes and infrastructure destroyed by Monday’s earthquake, which killed 265 people and left nearly 500 unaccounted for.

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck shortly after 7 a.m. local time on Monday, collapsing buildings in major cities in western Colombia.

Emergency measures

De La Espriella, who was inaugurated three days before the earthquake, described the disaster as a tragedy of immense proportions in a national address.

“Our efforts are focused on those who remain missing,” he said.

The president also declared an economic emergency to address earthquake damage, but did not specify what measures it would involve.

Officials said 3,770 people were injured and more than 9,550 homes were destroyed.

Rescue operations

Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said rescue workers were racing against time as the critical 72-hour period, when survivors are more likely to be found, neared its end.

Pereira, in Colombia’s coffee region, reported 83 deaths, while Cali, the country’s third-largest city, reported 74.

Rescue teams in Cali were concentrating on seven buildings that might still contain survivors. At the Torres del Limonar complex in the south of the city, residents, soldiers, mayor’s office employees and others formed bucket brigades to remove rubble.

Camilo Cano, a Bogota fire department official, told Reuters that operations had become more organised after police restricted volunteers. He said the restrictions reduced noise and vibrations, allowing sensors to better detect movement beneath the debris.

Cano also said the risk of a serious aftershock posed dangers to large crowds, while relatives of people believed trapped under the building waited nearby for news.