Colombia's Legal Medicine receives 312 bodies from earthquake victims

The Institute of Legal Medicine (IML) in Colombia has reported receiving 312 bodies of victims from the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck the country on August 10. The institute has successfully identified 306 of these individuals, and the majority have already been returned to their families. The bodies originated from the departments of Chocó, Caldas, Risaralda, and Valle del Cauca, which were the most severely affected regions.

Among the identified victims are 24 minors, according to the bulletin released by the IML, an entity attached to the Prosecutor's Office. Cali, the capital of Valle del Cauca, has recorded the highest number of identified victims with 144, followed by Pereira, the capital of Risaralda, with 107. The report also indicates the identification of 12 bodies from Quibdó (Chocó), nine from Buenaventura, six from Buga, and six from Roldanillo (all in Valle del Cauca), as well as five from Manizales (Caldas), among other locations.

The process of releasing the bodies is being conducted in coordination with the Attorney General's Office at the relevant municipal offices. The IML noted that deceased individuals in Cali are being handed over in the nearby city of Palmira. These figures differ slightly from those provided by Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, who reported 289 fatalities in a national address.

The earthquake's epicenter was located in San José del Palmar, Chocó, near the borders with Valle del Cauca and Risaralda, explaining the high concentration of casualties in these departments. The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) reports that the earthquake, the most devastating in Colombia since 1999, has also left 4,548 injured and 426 missing, with numerous buildings suffering structural damage or collapse.