*People Were Falling, Being Struck By Things, Cars Were Thrown Around -Eyewitness
A pall of grief was thrown over Colombia as over 100 persons perished in a 7.4 magnitude earthquake which struck the South American country today.
Reports said the disaster occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time (12:34 GMT).
Official figures so far indicate 111 deaths, most of them in the metropolitan area of Pereira and the department of Valle del Cauca. The number of injured is 87.
The epicenter was in the west of the country, specifically in the Chocó department, but the effects were felt throughout much of the territory and also in neighboring countries such as Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.
The Coffee Belt Area, Hardest Hit
The most affected area is the so-called Coffee Belt. In Pereira, one of the main cities in this region, at least 40 people have died, while in neighboring Manizales three more have been confirmed.
In the Valle del Cauca area, there have been at least 27 deaths , and in the department of Chocó, four.
Shakira Mourns Fallen Compatriots
Colombian pop star Shakira said her heart is with “everyone who felt this earthquake today.”
“In times like these, we Colombians know how to come together and support one another,” she wrote on X. “All my strength and love for my homeland. Let’s embrace tightly and stay tuned to the instructions so we can help as soon as possible.”
Just-sworn In President, Abelardo De la Espriella, Suspends Itinerary
In an address to the nation around midday (local time), President Abelardo de la Espriella said his government had deployed all of its capabilities “to protect lives, assist affected communities and deliver aid wherever it is needed”
“The first priority is rescuing the people trapped under the rubble,” he said.
He described it as the worst earthquake in Colombia in the last 10 years.
De la Espriella, who just took office last week, has announced that he will go to Pereira, one of the most affected cities, and has activated an emergency committee to deal with the crisis, adding that the priority now is to search for people under the rubble so as to rescue survivors.
Extensive Devastation
In Cali, Colombia’s third largest city, emergency crews are working on at least 25 collapsed structures.
Several people are still trapped under the rubble, and rescue teams have already been able to pull some out alive.
The earthquake also caused evacuations in Bogota and damage in several locations.
Authorities have temporarily suspended flights at six airports in the country and several aftershocks have been recorded.
The earthquake was felt in Panama, several provinces of Ecuador, including Pichincha, Venezuela and even Brazil.
While waiting for the assessment of further damage in Colombia, Panama has reported evacuations of buildings in the capital and other cities.
People Were Falling And Being Struck By Things, Eyewitness Says
Santiago Velázquez, an industrial advisor, was driving to his son’s school in the suburbs between Pereira and Cartago, in Colombia’s Risaralda province, when the quake hit.
All the cars had to stop because they were being thrown around as the earth shook, Velázquez said.
He was already outside when it happened. “But people were falling and being struck by things as they tried to get out of their buildings,” he said.
Traffic was totally stuck as of press time, so Velázquez got a motorbike into the centre to try and help friends and family.
Giving further details of the quake, he said it caused a landslide that carried away a few houses, and had heard reports of some five-storey buildings in the suburbs that are “totally cracked.”
Some areas were without water, light or gas. A “disaster”, Velázquez said.
*PHOTO CAPTION: People look for survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building after the earthquake in Pereira, Colombia.
