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🇻🇪 Venezuela /Disasters & Emergencies

New Tally Raises Colombia Earthquake Death Toll to 289, Over 185,000 Displaced

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Ongoing story
  • A recent report indicates 289 deaths and over 185,000 displaced individuals following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia last Monday.
  • The number of fatalities has been adjusted after verifying initial reports to avoid duplicate counts, according to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
  • The earthquake's epicenter was in Chocó, with significant impacts on Risaralda, Valle del Cauca, Caldas, and Quindío, causing widespread damage to infrastructure and affecting thousands of families.

Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) has updated the toll from last Monday's magnitude 7.4 earthquake, reporting 289 fatalities and over 185,000 people affected. The agency also confirmed 143 individuals remain missing. The UNGRD noted a slight decrease of five in the death toll compared to the previous day, attributing this to a rigorous verification process of initial reports to prevent double-counting victims.

Official data from the Prosecutor's Office, Legal Medicine, and emergency services are being cross-referenced with verbal reports received in the immediate aftermath of the quake. The significant increase in the number of displaced persons is largely due to comprehensive reporting from the mayor's office in Pereira, the capital of the Risaralda department, one of the areas hardest hit by the seismic event. In total, 120,238 families are registered as displaced across 450 municipalities in 15 of Colombia's 32 departments.

The number of deceased represents a reduction of five cases compared to the report from the previous day, a variation that the UNGRD attributed to the process of verifying initial records.

— National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD)The UNGRD explained the adjustment in the death toll.

The earthquake, which had its epicenter in San José del Palmar in the Chocó department, has caused extensive damage. The number of damaged homes has risen to 127,557, with 26,945 completely destroyed. Additionally, 66 buildings have collapsed, and significant damage has been reported to 285 health centers, 2,838 educational facilities, and 3,782 community centers. The disaster also impacted the region's animal population, with 510 animals rescued and 822 affected.

The primary affected regions include Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Caldas, and Quindío. The UNGRD continues to coordinate relief efforts and provide updated figures as the situation is assessed and recovery operations proceed in the affected areas.

The considerable increase in the figures (of displaced persons) is associated with the report from the Mayor's Office of Pereira.

— National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD)The UNGRD explained the rise in the number of affected individuals.
DistantNews Editorial

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

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