Now Reading: 7.4 magnitude earthquake kills at least 82 in Colombia
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7.4 magnitude earthquake kills at least 82 in Colombia
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia near San Jose del Palmar in Choco province at 7:34 am local time on Monday, killing at least 82 people according to authorities cited by Reuters.…
The Story in Brief
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia near San Jose del Palmar in Choco province at 7:34 am local time on Monday, killing at least 82 people according to authorities cited by Reuters. The Colombian Geological Survey reports this is the strongest earthquake recorded in the country in a decade. The tremor, felt across Bogota and into neighbouring Ecuador and Panama, badly damaged Pereira's Matecana airport and collapsed buildings in Cali, Pereira, Quibdo and Manizales. Pereira mayor Mauricio Salazar reported 18 deaths in his city alone, while Cali mayor Alejandro Eder said people were trapped inside at least 19 collapsed buildings. President Abelardo de la Espriella said he has taken charge of the emergency response and will travel to Pereira.
The Indian Opinion
Social media exploded with grainy videos of cracked walls and falling ceiling tiles, but the real story is the widening gap between early death tolls from Reuters (82) and local counts that still stand at 69 even as rescue teams dig through rubble in Cali and Pereira. The Colombian Geological Survey calls this the strongest quake in a decade, yet the government insists damage assessment is only beginning. The question that matters: how many of the 20-odd municipalities the interior minister named were reachable by road when the aftershocks hit?
Sources (7): economictimes.indiatimes.com, indiatvnews.com, timesnownews.com, timesnownews.com (2), timesnownews.com (3), indiatoday.in, hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 7 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 7 sources.
