The death toll from last week’s powerful earthquake in Colombia has risen to at least 314, while 262 people remain missing, President Abelardo De La Espriella said on Wednesday.
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on 10 August, causing widespread destruction from the Pacific coast through the country’s coffee-growing region and major cities including Cali and Pereira.
The latest figures mark a further increase from the weekend, when authorities reported around 290 deaths. Thousands of people have also been injured and tens of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed.
The disaster has severely damaged homes and critical infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, roads and water systems. Cali, Pereira and the Chocó region are among the areas hardest hit.
Attention has increasingly shifted from rescue operations towards humanitarian assistance and reconstruction as the chances of finding more survivors diminish.
The economic cost is also mounting. De La Espriella said on Tuesday that preliminary estimates put losses from the earthquake at around 30 trillion Colombian pesos, or $9.6 billion, including damage to buildings and infrastructure.
The earthquake represents the first major crisis for De La Espriella’s administration, with the government facing the challenge of providing shelter and assistance to affected communities while rebuilding infrastructure across a large part of western Colombia.
The situation is particularly difficult in Chocó, where existing poverty, limited transport links and armed conflict have complicated relief efforts. Around 69,000 people in the region have been displaced or otherwise affected, according to recent assessments.
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