A devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Colombia on Monday, causing widespread destruction and killing over 200 people. The quake struck the country’s coffee-growing region, leaving many communities in a state of national disaster.
Rescue Efforts
Rescue operations are underway, with emergency responders racing to find more survivors. In one remarkable rescue, a baby was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building in Cali. Brian Osorio Zuluaga, who was in the area when the quake struck, helped lead the rescue efforts.
Osorio described how he and several others began moving debris to reach the baby and a man who were trapped. After a large concrete slab was lifted, the baby was carefully pulled out of the wreckage and handed over to a police officer, who took him to an ambulance.
The European Union has mobilized its satellite service Copernicus and is providing funding to help the response. World leaders have offered aid and assistance to Colombia as the country struggles to recover from the disaster.
In the epicenter of the earthquake, Chocó, an indigenous leader called on authorities to send food and medicine, saying one person in the community was injured. The leader, Victor Chamapuro, said that all the houses in the community were destroyed, leaving many people without shelter.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
