Bogota, Colombia – One week after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake rocked western Colombia, rescue efforts continue despite the razor-thin chances of survival. The disaster response, however, is entering a new phase as rescue teams wind down operations and aid organisations begin focusing on housing those made homeless by the earthquake and providing basic necessities. While official data reveals vast destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses, the full scale of the devastation continues to be assessed.
Fifteen of Colombia’s 32 provinces were affected by the earthquake, which killed at least 289 people and injured 4,187. The earthquake struck San Jose del Palmar, a rural town in Colombia’s Pacific region, and devastated swaths of nearby cities like Pereira, Quibdo, and Cali. In total, 127,557 homes were damaged, and were 26,945 destroyed.
The disaster also devastated other institutions, including 285 health centres and 2,838 educational facilities. Economic infrastructure sustained significant damage, with 407 roads, 92 water supply systems, 44 vehicular bridges, and five airports affected. In the past week, emergency response teams have carried out an unrelenting rescue effort that has saved 354 lives.
As of Sunday night, 143 people remain unaccounted for, according to government figures, though an unofficial online database called Colombia Te Busca (Colombia is looking for you) puts the number of missing at more than 3,000. He added that the chances of finding life under the rubble have dropped significantly, and response teams’ priorities are shifting towards a medium-term emergency. In some places, such as the seven-storey Vanessa Building in Cali, efforts to find survivors have been paused altogether.
They are now in the phase of recovering bodies,” said Enrique Zapata, head of logistics at Cali-based health NGO SARES, who has been helping with the emergency response at the Vanessa Building. While the chances of finding life under the rubble drop sharply after the first 72 hours following an earthquake, others still hope. In recent days, he said, local rescue efforts have been boosted by international teams from countries like Israel, the United States, and Mexico.
With more than 120,000 families affected by the earthquake, authorities are under pressure to shelter the homeless. In cities like Cali and Pereira, local authorities have converted spaces such as sports stadiums and community centres into temporary shelters. Veronica Echeverry, who oversees a shelter at a community hall in Cali, said that they have received help from citizens, hospitals, and local authorities.
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