Colombia earthquake - latest: 164 dead as Cali hospital collapses and people trapped

Colombia earthquake - latest: 164 dead as Cali hospital collapses and people trapped A 7.4-magnitude earthquake has struck Colombia with the worst of the damage in the city of Pereira and Cali where a hospital has collapsed The Colombian government has declared a national disaster after buildings, including a hospital, collapsed in a devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake, that has left 164 people confirmed dead. More than 2,600 people are feared missing with rescuers racing against time to find survivors after the tremor hit San José del Palmar with the worst of the damage in the cities of Pereira and Cali. In Cali, a hospital specialising in paediatric services has collapsed leaving people trapped in the rubble and 600 people needing treatment on the streets. As per Bogotá radio station Blu Radio, 32 cities have been placed on red alert, meaning they have suffered severe damage. The government has deployed soldiers to affected cities to help. Key Events Here's what you may have missed overnight as the situation in Colombia continues to unfold. - Rising death toll and destruction: Confirmed that the death toll rose to 164 with over 1,600 buildings damaged, and 32 cities placed on red alert due to severe destruction. - Rescue efforts and Venezuelan recall: Search and rescue teams were frantically digging through rubble in cities like Cali, prompting the recall of search crews previously deployed in neighbouring Venezuela. - Cable car evacuations: Highlighted the high-angle rescue of 16 people trapped for six hours inside public transit cable car cabins in Pereira, as well as service suspensions due to structural damage in Manizales. - Geotagged videos highlight damage in city of Manizales: Shared geolocated video compilation clips pinpointing structural damage across key locations in Manizales, including the Universidad de Caldas, Avenida Santander, and local churches. - UK support: British Ambassador to Colombia George Hodgson shared a video message of solidarity - Historical context: Monday's disaster is already being compared to a similar deadly 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck in the same region 1999, which killed nearly 1,200 people. Around 81 miles from Monday's quake epicentre, San Jose Del Palmar, lies the city Armenia. It was the worst hit city in a horror quake back in 1999 that measured a magnitude of 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale. On January 25, the quake struck Colombia’s coffee growing region and left 1,185 people dead. A further 8,500 were injured and 35,972 homes were destroyed, as per data from Colombia’s National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE).Most of the deaths - roughly 921 of them - and the worst of the damage hit the city of Armenia, in western Colombia’s mountainous coffee-growing region. It just so happens that that same city was also one of the hardest hit by today’s quake.Here's what the aftermath of that disaster looked like: Footage shared online has captured the devistation of Monday's earthquake as it struck Manizales, a city in the mountainous coffee-growing region of western Colombia. With geolocation software, our staff at the Mirror have been able to narrow down the locations seen in the following video: Here are the locations identified in the compilation video abovem chronicling the destruction in Manizales. - 00:00 – 00:24 (Clip 1): Universidad de Caldas (Sede Central / Main Campus), Calle 65 # 26-10, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. - 00:25 – 00:33 (Clip 2): Avenida Santander / Calle 50, near the Socobuses transit line area, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. - 00:33 – 00:52 (Clip 3): Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Carrera 33 # 18-19, Barrio El Carmen, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. - 00:53 – 00:57 (Clip 4): Residential street area in Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. - 00:58 – 01:02 (Clip 5): Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Plaza de Bolívar, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia. - 01:03 – 01:10 (Clip 6): Commercial centre / downtown area in Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia. The British Ambassador for Colombia George Hodgson has issued a statement in the wake of Monday's horror quake that has razed buildings and injured hundreds upon hundreds of people. In a video statement shared via X, he expressed his thoughts in Spanish. Translated to English, Hodgson said: In English: "Currently, I am far from Colombia. But I wanted to send a message of solidarity to all the victims of today's earthquake. Stay strong, Colombia!" A total of 16 people have been rescued from an aerial cable car system in Pereira, western Colombia, the city’s mayor’s office said Monday. The 16 people were inside cabins of the cable car pulley system when the powerful earthquake struck on Monday morning. They were evacuated from their temporary sky prisons about six hours later, at around 1:30 p.m. local time, as per a statement from the city office. The statement added that cable car services in Pereira’s cable car system will remain suspended until further notice. Aerial cable cars are a popular form of public transit in Colombia, connecting commuters in hillside communities with city centres. Another Colombian city Manizales, located in the South American nation's mountainous coffee region, also had to evacuate passengers from its own cable car public transport service. Those services have also been suspended due to structural damage, CNN writes. The death toll in Colombia's earthquake has risen to 132, as per Bogotá radio station Blu Radio.As well as the increased death toll, reporters with the radio station say there has been a steep rise in the number of those injured. Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella previously at least 87 people were injured and around 1,600 buildings were damaged, as per AP, but the updated numbers reflect 570 people have been hurt across the South American nation following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that shook much of the country on Monday.Thirty-two cities are now on red alert, meaning they are experiencing severe damage, as per Blu Radio. Search and rescue teams are working alongside volunteers to sift through the rubble of destroyed buildings in the country’s third-largest city, Cali. Rescuers are passing rubble down a long line of volunteers in an attempt to excavate collapsed buildings in the hope of finding survivors. Álvaro López, who cradled his dog as he watched the search, told AP: “Our building has basically been left in ruins, and the building next to ours? Completely collapsed." The desperate scene has resulted in the recall of searches still ongoing in neighbouring Venezuela, weeks after the neighbouring country was devastated by two powerful earthquakes. Colombia’s Geological Service has confirmed that Monday’s quake was the country’s strongest recorded “in the 21st century,” and that it was followed by 21 less powerful aftershocks. Colombia’s Pacific region around the quake’s epicentre lies along the infamous 'Ring of Fire'; the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes take place.. The Pacific, particularly the Choco region where the epicentre of the quake is located, is one of Colombia’s poorest. The province is largely entangled in dense jungle and is only reachable by boat or plane, which may pose a problem for authorities in assessing the wider death and injury toll. Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella has confirmed that at least 111 people have been killed by the earthquake so far. Speaking at a press conference, Espriella said a preliminary report suggests 111 people are deceased and a further 87 are injured. At least 1,575 homes have also been damaged by the quake, with 37 buildings totally destroyed. The Colombian government has declared a national disaster in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by today's devastating earthquakes, local media reports. Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella is currently in Bogotá assessing the damage Five major airports in Colombia remain closed to the public for the forseeable future as authorities assess the impact of the earthquake. Aeronáutica Civil, Colombia's civil aviation authority, said Pereira, Manizales, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura airports will only be used for "medical and government" flights while the scale of the damage is properly assessed. Flights from Guillermo León Valencia Airport, in Popayán, also remain restricted due to the ongoing fallout from a nearby volcano eruption. US secretary of state Marco Rubio says the White House is "closely monitoring" the situation in Colombia and is ready to offer its support. America stands "stands ready to support the people of Colombia", Rubio wrote in a post on X, and urged US citizens in the country to contact the embassy in Bogota. The number of people killed in the quake has risen to 52, just minutes after it was reported that 47 people had died. Local governer Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi confirmed the death toll in Colombia's northwestern Choco region, while an additional three people have been killed in the city of Manizales. Aside from the mentioned fatalities, an additional 27 people have have reportedly died in the Valle de Cauca region, where the city of Cali in located. A further 18 casulties have been reported in Pereira, the city's mayor, Mauricio Salazar, said. The earthquake left cities across the west of Colombia ravaged and residents picking through the pieces of the rubble amid concerns by authorities of aftershocks. Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Colombia’s third-biggest city, Cali, said he saw plumes of dust shoot up across the city from his home in the mountains as buildings collapsed after the earthquake. Residents in the city and rescue workers were already searching the rubble of collapsed buildings on Monday morning. "My entire house shook," he said. "I’ve never lived through such a powerful earthquake," he added. The quake follows two back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes in Venezuela in late June. Those earthquakes destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed more than 6,000 people, with more than 1,500 still missing as of August 3. Two more people have been confirmed dead, bringing the current death toll to 22. Ligia del Carmen Cordoba, mayor of the Buenaventura city, said several people were trapped under a collapsed building, with one of them killed. Buenaventura is a coastal seaport city located just over 100 miles away from the epicentre of the earthquake. Manizales mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas, who earlier confirmed two people have lost their lives, has now said another person has died in the city. Colombian president Abelardo De La Espriella has shared a message of support to all those affected by the earthquake. He said: "I am heading to Bogotá to focus on addressing the emergency facing our country. [...] "To the Colombians who are going through difficult times today, I want to say: you are not alone. "You have a President who cares deeply for his people and who will do everything necessary to protect you, support you, and move forward together in rebuilding the affected regions." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also offered his support, saying: "The Trump Administration is closely monitoring the large earthquake that struck Colombia and stands ready to support the people of Colombia and President Abelardo De La Espriella's administration." Bird's eye view videos taken over Pereira and Cali show numerous buildings collapsing after the earthquake, as thick closuds of dust rise into the sky. So far, two people have been confirmed dead in Manizales and 18 more in Pereira, one of the worst-hit cities. Patients have been pictured outside a hospital in Cali after they were evacuated as a result of the earthquake. Cali is located about 160 miles from San Jose del Palmar, where the epicentre of the earthquake has been identified. The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) has stated there is no tsunami threat following the earthquake. It said: "According to the Colombian Maritime Authority, there is no tsunami threat to the Colombian Pacific coast following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake recorded at 7:34 a.m., 20 kilometers from San José de Palmar, in Chocó." The Colombian Geological Service states that today's earthquake at 7.34am local time was the country's strongest in the last decade. The tremor had its epicentre in San José del Palmar, Chocó, with a magnitude of 7.4 and a depth of approximately 103km. The earthquake was widely felt across multiple regions and countries, including Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama. Two aftershock of 2.8 and 4.8 magnitude have been recorded. The Colombian Geological Service said: "It is important to note that the seismic activity recorded in this zone is due to the natural tectonic dynamics of western Colombia, associated, among other processes, with the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate. "For this reason, this region has experienced earthquakes of considerable magnitude throughout its history. "Among the historical precedents is the earthquake that occurred on November 23, 1979, with a magnitude of 7.2. "The Colombian Geological Service continues to carry out permanent monitoring of seismic activity and will provide official and timely information as new data become available." Below is another video taken in Pereira, showing the severe damage caused by the earthquake. It has now been confirmed that 18 people have died in Pereira, with three of those being killed during the earthquake at the city's Matecaña airport. The death toll has now risen to 20 as the mayor of Pereira, Mauricio Salazar, has confirmed another 18 people have been killed in the earthquake. Speaking to Caracol Radio, he said three of them died at Matecaña Airport, where operations have been suspended due to severe damage. Mr Salazar said:. "Communications have collapsed, we are working in the crisis room to try to normalize and provide the information." Pereira is located 65 miles away from San Jose del Palmar, where the epicentre of the earthquake has been recorded. Two people have now been confirmed dead following the earthquake in Colombia. Red Mas reports the mayor of Manizales, Jorge Eduardo Rojas, confirmed the deaths when speaking to Blu Radio. A video taken in Manizales, a city close to the epicentre of the earthquake, shows terrified people embracing each other in Plaza de Bolívar as they feel the tremor. A church is also seen partly collapsing. The mayor of Bogota, Carlos Galán, has confirmed the capital city of Colombia, Bogota, has not suffered any significant damage. He said: "Following the earthquake felt around 7:34am, and after an initial sweep of the city to check, no structural damage has been reported, only some cracks that do not pose a risk to the buildings' structures. "We will continue patrolling Bogotá to verify there are no impacts or structural damage and will keep you informed." Bogota is located about 250 miles away from the epicentre of the earthquake near San Jose del Palmar. Alejandro Eder, mayor of Cali, a city in western Colombia, said at least 20 collapsed structures have so far been identified in the city, with people trapped. He said: "We are already on the front lines of this emergency with all the rescue organizations of Cali. "I have requested support from the mayor of Bogotá and the mayor of Medellín with rescue teams. "I ask the citizens to remain calm. Check if there are any apparent structural damages in your buildings. "If you do not feel safe, if you see very large cracks, please, leave the building. "Let us support our rescue teams with whatever is necessary. Please, also take care of safety and the surroundings." More footage of the severe damage caused by the earthquake at Matecaña International Airport can be seen below. Operations have been suspended as a result. Operations have now been reportedly suspended at six airports across Colombia, according to Noticias Caracol. The Civil Aeronautics Authority stated that this is as a result of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake this morning, followed by a number of aftershocks. The six airports are Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura. Footage shared on social media shows severe damage at Pereira Airport as people attempt to shelter under tables. Injuries and severe damage to buildings have now been confirmed. Governor of Chocó, Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi, said: "We have just experienced a severe seismic event in the department of Chocó. "We are concerned about aftershocks. Although the epicenter was in San José del Palmar, in the capital Quibdó there are injuries and severe damage to buildings. "We are already conducting the damage assessment to issue the first official report." A video posted on X by El Tiempo, a newspaper in Colombia, shows he strong eartquake unfolding. Multiple people can be seen struggling to stand, with some helped from the ground by others, as a building in the background shakes aggresively. The video appears to have been taken outside a Caldas University building, located in Manizales, close to the epicentre of the earthquake.