At least 216 people lost their lives during the deadliest earthquake of the century in Colombia, the death toll of which has been revised downwards. A three-day mourning was declared on Wednesday, August 12, in tribute to the victims.
The search for survivors continues fiercely in the west of the country, where the 7.4 magnitude earthquake leveled entire blocks of houses.
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With an epicenter located in the department of Choco, on the Pacific coast, the earthquake affected numerous localities including Cali, the third city in the country, and Pereira.
During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, rescuers extracted a survivor from the rubble of a collapsed building. She was saved dozens of hours after the earthquake struck.
When Daniela Largo, 32, was taken out of the ruins and wrapped in a blue blanket, her relatives shouted with joy and members of the rescue forces hugged each other, AFP journalists noted.
“A local resident heard cries for help”
“We were losing hope when we received a call,” testified his mother, Sandra Milena Perez.
According to her, a local resident heard cries for help under the rubble and gathered his neighbors to clear the debris before the arrival of professionals. “Thanks to him, today we are happy. (…) At home, his 12-year-old son is waiting for (his mother Daniela).”
The previous toll of 241 deaths, according to the AFP count carried out on the basis of data communicated by various local authorities, was revised downwards Tuesday evening after the authorities of Cali, a metropolis of 2.2 million inhabitants, revised their count.
The cities of Manizales and Quibdo are also among the hardest hit.
The earthquake injured more than 1,600 people and destroyed hundreds of buildings, according to the Mayors’ Association.
As night fell on Tuesday, families prepared to sleep in parks, for fear of the aftershocks that shook the disaster-stricken neighborhoods.
In Cali, another survivor, Beatriz Arcos, found herself trapped for nearly an hour under the rubble of her apartment.
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Once extracted, she was treated but her back continues to cause her pain. Her husband and mother were also injured.
“Everything is happening so fast,” she told AFP, sitting in front of what remains of the three-story building, where her son tried to retrieve documents, cell phones and other valuables.
Residents armed with picks, shovels and just their hands help the rescue efforts. Others distribute food or donate blood.
Working in the “hope of saving a life”
Clearing, “we do it by hand, with gloves,” said Pablo Cesar Ruiz, a volunteer.
“We work together in the hope of saving a life,” says another volunteer, Javier Muñoz.
Several hospitals in Cali were damaged. Part of the University Hospital del Valle collapsed, forcing doctors to transfer some patients and treat others in the adjoining gardens.
In Pereira, the majority of the 480,000 inhabitants found themselves without electricity.
“We lost everything, but we are alive,” summarizes Johan Tabasco, 23, from a city park where he took refuge the night after the earthquake with his partner and their seven-month-old son.
For many, the search for loved ones is distressing.
“My aunt lived there. She is under the rubble,” says Jorge Gonzalez in front of a collapsed building. “We couldn’t recover her because there is a gas leak in the back (…) Until they find her body, I have no intention of leaving this place,” he explains.
Washington offers $15.5 million in aid
The Colombian President, Abelardo de la Espriella, announced subsidies to allow people who are now homeless to find new housing, during a visit on Tuesday to Pereira, already hit by an earthquake which left nearly 1,200 dead in 1999.
The United States, an ally of Colombia’s new government, has offered $15.5 million in aid to deal with the emergency.
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The European Union has mobilized its Copernicus satellite service to facilitate relief operations.
The earthquake was felt on Monday as far as Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela, a country hit on June 24 by a double earthquake of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 that left more than 6,300 dead.
With AFP
