Emergency response efforts are ongoing after a powerful earthquake struck Colombia Monday morning, collapsing buildings and sending people across the country racing out of their homes, workplaces and schools.
At least 132 have died and 570 have been injured as a result of the magnitude 7.4 quake, including 60 deaths in the western city of Pereira alone, according to an update from the Colombian Association of Capital Cities Monday evening. These figures are likely to rise as rescue operations continue.
Here are the latest headlines on the earthquake and the emergency response:
- Five capital cities across the country are in a red alert, 86 buildings have collapsed and seven airports have suspended operations, according to the Colombian Association of Capital Cities. At least 188 people are missing in Cali, the city’s mayor said.
- Sixteen people were evacuated from an aerial cable car system in Pereira after being trapped for six hours, the city’s mayor’s office said.
- The US is committing $15.5 million to Colombia for shelter, food, protection and earthquake assessments, the State Department said. The US is also “actively assisting” American tourists, the embassy in Bogota said.
- The quake hit Colombia’s so-called coffee axis, a mountainous, lush and culturally important region which helps to power Colombia’s economy. The area was the site of another earthquake in 1999 which killed nearly 1,200 people.
Michael Rios, Rocio Munoz, Fernando Ramos and Jennifer Hansler contributed reporting.
