Colombia quake death toll rises to 273 as rescue teams search rubble

The death toll from Monday’s devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Colombia has climbed to 273, with thousands injured or displaced and rescue teams continuing their painstaking search for survivors amid widespread destruction.

David Tamayo, director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, said 40,753 families, or 97,515 people, had been affected by the powerful tremor. Of the 273 people killed, 250 bodies had been taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine, 227 had been identified and 189 had been handed over to their families.

The earthquake also left 3,824 people injured, while 377 people remain missing, underscoring the scale of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the affected areas.

The destruction has been extensive. According to Tamayo, 12,584 homes have been destroyed and another 74,873 damaged. The earthquake also brought down 172 buildings and disrupted 2,198 schools and educational institutions, 825 community centres and 216 health facilities. Five airports were also affected, Xinhua news agency reported.

As the search for survivors continues, Colombian authorities are turning to satellite technology and high-resolution imagery to map the devastation and identify areas requiring urgent assistance. On the ground, search-and-rescue teams, aided by trained dogs, are combing through collapsed structures in the hope of locating people trapped beneath the rubble.

The disaster zone has also continued to experience seismic activity. The Colombian Geological Service recorded a 4.2-magnitude tremor at 9:42 a.m. local time (1442 GMT) on Thursday in San Jose del Palmar, in the northwestern department of Choco, the epicentre of Monday’s earthquake.

The continuing tremors have added another layer of uncertainty for communities already grappling with shattered homes, damaged infrastructure and disrupted essential services.

Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and its partners are supporting the Colombian government’s response to the disaster. OCHA said widespread damage to homes and public infrastructure had been reported, while humanitarian assessments were continuing, particularly in the worst-hit areas.

Relief operations remain challenging, with damaged communications networks, disrupted transport links and interruptions to public services hampering efforts to reach vulnerable communities.

Emergency shelter, food, safe drinking water and healthcare have emerged as the most pressing needs. The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are mobilising resources to meet those demands, with the World Food Programme sending food supplies and the World Health Organization dispatching medical equipment and supplies from warehouses in Colombia.

As rescue workers continue their race against time, the scale of the devastation is becoming clearer, with communities across the earthquake-hit region facing a long and difficult road towards recovery.

With IANS inputs