Colombia declares national emergency as quake toll hits 111

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US, Israel and other countries offer support

Israel and the United States, allies of the new Colombian president, were among the first countries to offer their help to Colombia.

Mexico, Chile, Ecuador and Spain also expressed their solidarity, as did President Emmanuel Macron, who shared on X «on behalf of France, (his) most sincere thoughts to the Colombian people».

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was ready to «bring more help» to Colombia after mobilizing its Copernicus satellite service to facilitate relief operations.

City of Cali hit hard

The mayor of Cali, Alejandro Éder, announced a toll of 15 dead and 380 injured in his city, the third largest in the country.

He said he was waiting for the arrival of the first 130 rescuers from other cities in Colombia.

‘We aren’t going to leave people alone’, Colombia president says

Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella said: «We aren’t going to leave people alone. They are in our hearts and we are going to tend to people with our full determination.»

Epicentre of quake in San Jose Del Palmar

The epicentre of the quake was in San Jose Del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in the Choco region about 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Bogota, the US Geological Survey said. The quake also was felt in neighbouring Ecuador and Panama, though minimal damage was reported there.

The quake ravaged cities across the west of the country, including Pereira, Quibdo, Cali and Manizales.

EU ‘ready to provide support’

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday the European Union was «ready to provide more support» after a powerful earthquake struck Colombia.

«Tonight, Europe’s heart is with the people of Colombia after the terrible earthquake in the Choco region. We have already mobilised Copernicus, our satellite service, to help with rescue operations,» von der Leyen said on social media.

At least 30 buildings collapsed, Cali mayor says

Cali, one of Colombia’s biggest cities, was among the worst hit, though authorities have yet to confirm deaths there.

Mayor Alejandro Eder told Caracol at least 30 buildings had collapsed and ​rescue crews were working at 10 of them.

Caracol showed firefighters and Colombian Red Cross workers carrying a ‌survivor on a stretcher from one collapsed building.

Tremors felt in Venezuela

Reuters witnesses in the Venezuelan border state of Tachira and central-western city of Barquisimeto reported the quake had been felt there.

Venezuela was hit ⁠by twin earthquakes in June, ​which killed more than 6,000 people, mostly on the coast near the capital, Caracas.

Flights suspended at several airports in Colombia

Colombia’s civil aviation authority said flights were suspended at airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura while inspectors checked for structural damage.

‘I’ve never lived through such a powerful earthquake’, eyewitness says

Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, said he saw plumes of dust shoot up across the city from his home in hills of the city as buildings collapsed. Residents in the city and rescue workers were searching the rubble for survivors.

“My entire house shook,” he said. “I’ve never lived through such a powerful earthquake.”

Manizales mayor urges people to remain outdoors because of possible aftershocks

Colombia declares national emergency after earthquake

Colombia government has declared a national emergency after Monday’s deadly quake, local media reported.

Province of Risaralda reports highest death toll – 42 people – so far

The highest reported death toll was in the western province of Risaralda — where the hard-hit city of Pereira is located — ⁠in Colombia’s coffee-growing region, where Governor Juan Diego Patino, speaking by phone to Caracol Television, reported 42 fatalities.

Death toll rises to 69, local officials say

The powerful earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday killed at least 69 people, local officials said.

The 7.4 magnitude quake killed 40 people in the coffee-growing Risaralda region, 27 in Valle del Cauca department and two more in the city of Manizales, according to new tolls from these officials.