Colombian President Appeals to U.S. for Tariff Suspension After Earthquake

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has appealed to his ally U.S. President Donald Trump to suspend tariffs as the South American nation tries to recover from a catastrophic earthquake that claimed at least 289 lives.

De la Espriella assumed office earlier this month, just days before the 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck. Endorsed by Trump during Colombia's tightly fought presidential race which was decided in a runoff on June 21, the newly elected leader has consistently sought to emphasize his close ties with Washington.

Posting on X on Saturday evening, de la Espriella noted he had spoken with Trump to express gratitude for emergency assistance. He said that he "asked him to consider the temporary suspension of the high tariffs that affect Colombian products, in order to provide relief to our businesspeople, who are facing very difficult times due to the effects of the earthquake."

The Trump administration has not yet responded to de la Espriella's request. The U.S. State Department confirmed that the United States has pledged $26.5 million in total emergency support, supplying health items, emergency shelters and food provisions.

The earthquake struck Monday morning, causing widespread destruction across western Colombia and hitting major urban centers such as Pereira, Cali, and Quibdo. Severe damage was reported along the Pacific coastline, prompting the president to declare a natural disaster.

Official statistics list 143 individuals as missing, though independent civilian tracking platforms suggest that the true figure spans thousands.

Centered in Choco, one of the country's most impoverished regions, the disaster has injured 3,937 people, according to official government figures.

Authorities said 14,705 residences were completely destroyed while an additional 81,536 sustained structural damage.

In Cali, Colombia's third-largest city, rescue crews continue searching for more than 70 missing residents. Teams are holding out hope for finding survivors trapped beneath collapsed structures, even though the critical 48-to-72-hour window for locating living victims has now passed.

"Miracles do happen" despite more than 120 hours elapsing since the earthquake struck, Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said from the unified command center.

"We are working where we know there are still victims; we are working in the hope of rescuing people alive."