The magnitude 7.4 earthquake on the Richter scale recorded this Monday in the municipality of San José del Palmar, in northwest Colombia, has so far left 169 dead and more than 660 injured, according to the partial report provided by the Colombian Association of Capital Cities (Asocapitales).
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The figures published by Asocapitales are a breakdown of the country’s capitals, so the number of victims is likely higher since it excludes those that may have been recorded in towns and localities affected by this tremor, which keeps Pereira, Cali, Quibdó, Manizales, and Armenia on red alert.
In this regard, they have specified in the latest report that 97% of the recorded fatalities have been registered in the capitals. Cali and Pereira are the most affected departmental capitals, with 85 and 66 deaths, respectively. Quibdó, with nine, and Manizales, with five, complete the record.
Pereira, capital of the Risaralda department, borders San José del Palmar, in Chocó, where the epicenter of the earthquake occurred this Monday around 7:34 a.m. local time, at a depth of 103 kilometers.
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Some local authorities have imposed a curfew after the first incidents occurred, including looting, and also in an attempt to facilitate the work of rescue and emergency teams. Likewise, security on the streets has been reinforced with the presence of the Army.
The Colombian president, Abelardo de la Espriella, is expected to spend these days visiting the affected areas, having already passed through Quibdó, the capital of Chocó, where the epicenter of what is now the worst earthquake to shake Colombia in ten years has been recorded.
From this first stop, the Colombian president has announced the delivery of the first financial aid to more than 1,400 affected families to rebuild their homes, as well as the transfer of the injured to medical centers in Medellín.
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