After earthquake in Colombia: 294 dead and hundreds missing

After the severe earthquake in Colombia, hope of rescuing survivors is dwindling. The death toll has risen to at least 294, the country's disaster management agency said.

In addition, 320 more people are missing and almost 4,000 are injured. The focus of rescue work is increasingly shifting to retrieving the dead from the rubble of collapsed buildings. Thousands of houses were destroyed by the earthquake.

Numerous aftershocks

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake shook the region around San José del Palmar on Monday morning. There was damage from the Pacific port city of Buenaventura to the coffee-growing region and the large cities in the west of the country. More than two-thirds of the deaths occurred in the cities of Cali and Pereira.

The situation for the helpers remains dangerous. Since the mainshock, 269 aftershocks have been recorded.

President asked Trump to suspend tariffs

The disaster is the first big test for the new President Abelardo de La Espriella. He was criticized for his initial crisis management, particularly because he initially did not accept offers of help from some countries. Rescue teams from Israel and the USA later arrived.

De La Espriella said he called US President Donald Trump on Saturday and asked him for a temporary suspension of US tariffs on Colombian goods because of the quake. “Today, the alliance between Colombia and the United States is more important than ever for the reconstruction of our country,” said de La Espriella on X.