Colombian earthquake exposes possible remains of guerrilla victims

An earthquake that struck central and southwestern Colombia on August 10th caused a cemetery in Roldanillo to reveal skeletal remains, potentially linked to the country's armed conflict. The seismic event caused some vaults to open, exposing bodies in black bags dressed in military camouflage and rubber boots.

These remains will be examined by experts from the Unit for the Search for Persons Given as Missing (UBPD), who are responsible for determining how and when these individuals died. Images of the exposed remains were shared on social media by residents of Roldanillo, a town in the Valle del Cauca department. The earthquake resulted in two deaths, over 400 injuries, and significant housing damage in the area.

Julián David Arias Quintero, deputy technical forensic director of the UBPD, stated that an assessment of cemeteries of forensic interest began immediately after the earthquake to identify sites requiring priority attention. So far, 79 cemeteries in Risaralda, Valle del Cauca, and Quindío have been evaluated, with Roldanillo's cemetery being prioritized for specialized team intervention between August 24th and 29th.

The UBPD expressed concern that seismic movements could disturb unidentified bodies in vaults and other locations, potentially hindering future search and identification processes. The UBPD was established following the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC to locate thousands of people who disappeared during Colombia's decades-long armed conflict.

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From the same August 10th when the events occurred, we set out to diagnose the cemeteries that are of forensic interest for the search in order to establish the level of damage and define which ones require priority attention.