De la Espriella's address to the nation: 289 people lost their lives in the earthquake

In his address to the nation, touching upon the loss of life and property caused by the earthquake, De la Espriella stated that 289 people have lost their lives in the disaster so far, contrary to the death toll of 304 shared by the Institute of Legal Medicine (IML).

Starting his speech with a moment of silence for those who lost their lives, De la Espriella expressed, "There are no words that can truly fill the void left by a father, a mother, a child, a spouse, a sibling, or a friend."

De la Espriella noted that, according to initial technical estimates made by a private firm, direct physical damage in the areas most affected by the earthquake amounts to approximately 30 trillion Colombian pesos (9.5 billion dollars).

Emphasizing the emergency situation in the country, De la Espriella stated:

"To date, it has been reported that 4,187 people were injured and 143 people are missing. More than 120,328 families have been registered as disaster victims, 26,945 homes were destroyed, and more than 127,557 homes were damaged. The disaster affected 450 municipalities across 15 departments. This means that nearly a third of our country has been affected by the earthquake."

Stating that search and rescue efforts are still ongoing, De la Espriella said, "My instruction immediately following the devastating disaster is clear: As long as there is a chance of finding even a single citizen alive, search and rescue teams will remain in the field."

Expressing that Colombians have shown "a great example of solidarity," De la Espriella said, "The country has made an extraordinary effort for the collection and dispatch of aid; however, this task does not end with the aid reaching a departmental capital. The truly most complex phase begins right there: delivering the aid in an orderly manner to every municipality, town, and village."

''MIRACLE FUND'' ESTABLISHED

De la Espriella announced that a new fund named the "Miracle Fund" (Fondo Milagro) has been established to manage the reconstruction process.

The fund will operate by taking as a model the "Fund for the Reconstruction of the Coffee Axis and Social Development (Forec)," which was established after the earthquake that hit the city of Armenia, Colombia, in 1999.

The government plans to provide rental assistance, utility facilitation, new housing, and housing improvement support to families who lost their homes. President De la Espriella also called on contractors and financial institutions to support the process.