Colombia earthquake latest: More than 160 killed after 7.4 tremor leaves ‘trail of destruction’

Colombia earthquake latest: More than 160 killed after 7.4 tremor leaves ‘trail of destruction’ The death toll in major cities including Cali is expected to rise with many people feared trapped under collapsed buildings - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Colombia is reeling from a destructive 7.4-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 160 people, leaving a “trail of destruction” as it tore down tall buildings in several cities. Rescuers are in a race against time to find survivors, and have continued digging through the collapsed buildings and flattened homes after the powerful tremor struck near San José del Palmar at 7.34am local time on Monday. Hundreds of people were being treated for injuries on the streets after a major hospital collapsed in Cali, one of the worst-hit cities, with officials saying the death toll is likely to rise. Have you been affected? Contact [email protected] Emergency teams aided by police, soldiers and volunteers worked through the night with excavators and, at times, their bare hands, hunting for survivors beneath debris. New president Abelardo De La Espriella, who declared a national emergency just three days after his inauguration, has been urged by lawmakers to declare an economic emergency after tremors brought devastation to major cities. “The earthquake has left a trail of destruction in several cities across the country. All of Colombia must dedicate itself to rescue efforts and reconstruction,” said senator Andrés Forero of the Democratic Center party, according to El Tiempo. Mr De La Espriella has said he would visit the disaster zone, which is some 150 miles west of the capital of Bogotá. “We aren't going to leave people alone. They are in our hearts and we are going to tend to people with our full determination,” said the president, a far-right populist who replaced former leftists leader Gustav Petro. The earthquake struck at a depth of 103km in San José del Palmar in the Choco province, according to the Colombian Geological Service. The scale of the horror has been laid bare in local media interviews with survivors. “My wife was on the fourth floor, and we haven't heard from her since,” recounted Freddy Otálora, speaking to El Colombiano. “She was talking to her son at the time because he was going to take the dog for a walk, and we think she's somewhere in the stairwell.” Carlos Saavedra, in Cali, is awaiting news of his her triplet nieces, a dog and two other people, who were in a building in the Cuarto de Legua neighbourhood when the earthquake struck. “We were in the dining room and it all fell down; I was the first one rescued,” he said. “What hope is there? I don’t believe… My God, no. Help, Mayor! We need rescue teams here.” Carmen Yasmin Garcia, 43, a Cali resident volunteering with rescue teams, said on Monday afternoon that her group had freed seven people from a collapsed building, but four others and a dog remained trapped. "A moment ago there was scratching but now we can't hear anything, we still have faith that the dog is alive and we can get these people out," Garcia said. "We need people with sticks and spades, the more people lending a hand the better." In Cali, home to about 2.2 million people, at least 85 people were killed. Dozens of buildings were left leaning precariously or destroyed outright, forcing residents into the streets. Several of the top floors of one of the city's hospitals - some dedicated to pediatric care - collapsed upon themselves, leaving some patients trapped and forcing some 600 others to be tended to on a street strewn with rubble, hospital director Irne Torres Castro told Caracol television. In Pereira, capital of the hard-hit state of Risaralda, authorities reported 66 dead. Another 13 people died in Choco, the rural province closest to the quake's epicenter. Two people were killed in Manizales, mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas said in an interview with Blu Radio. The number of injured was yet to be confirmed. One person died in Buenaventura, Colombia's main Pacific port, where a building collapsed, trapping several people, authorities said. Mr De La Espriella said in a video filmed while flying to Bogota that he was suspending his planned activities to lead emergency coordination efforts out of the capital. Some 1,000 members of Colombia’s security forces would be deployed to the city by dawn, he said on Monday, following reports of looting. Cali, as well as Pereira, implemented curfews on Monday night. “Our intention is to cooperate in any way necessary. Here, there are no distinctions or ideological divisions when it comes to defending our people or showing solidarity,” Mr De La Espriella told journalists on Monday evening. Flights were suspended at airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura, the civil aviation authority said, adding that inspectors were checking for structural damage. The quake was felt as far as the Venezuelan border state of Tachira and the central-western city of Barquisimeto, according to witnesses. Colombia’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire makes it highly susceptible to earthquakes. The Ring of Fire is a sweeping belt where the Earth’s tectonic plates meet, with around 90 per cent of the planet’s largest earthquakes occurring here. The disaster has also drawn comparisons to a 1999 earthquake in the same region that killed more than 1,000 people. It is also the latest devastating earthquake to strike the region after quakes that killed more than 6,300 in neighboring Venezuela in June. The country’s most devastating quake occurred in August 1868 and it killed around 70,000 people. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments