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Colombia Earthquake: 273 Dead, Thousands Injured and Missing
🇨🇴 Colombia /Disasters & Emergencies

Colombia Earthquake: 273 Dead, Thousands Injured and Missing

From El Tiempo · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management reported 273 deaths, 3,824 injuries, and 377 missing following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake on August 10.
  • The earthquake caused widespread damage, destroying 12,584 homes and damaging 74,873 others, with significant impacts on educational centers, health facilities, and infrastructure.
  • The government is utilizing advanced technology, including satellite imagery and drone footage from alliances with NASA, to monitor affected areas and aid in recovery efforts.

Three days after a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia, the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) released a grim official toll on Thursday, August 13. Director David Santiago Tamayo detailed the emergency's impact, reporting 273 fatalities, 3,824 injuries, and 377 individuals still missing. The quake, which registered a magnitude of 7.4 with its epicenter in San José del Palmar, Chocó, has devastated communities.

The UNGRD's consolidated report highlights the extensive human toll: 40,753 families and 97,515 individuals are affected. Among the deceased, 250 have been processed by legal medicine, with 227 identified and 189 bodies returned to their families. The scale of destruction extends to infrastructure, with 12,584 homes destroyed and an additional 74,873 damaged. Critical facilities like 216 health centers and 2,198 educational institutions also sustained damage, alongside 825 community centers and essential services such as 71 aqueducts.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Tiempo in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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