Colombia Earthquake Toll Rises to Around 294
The death toll from Colombia’s earthquake rose to about 294, according to the national disaster agency, with roughly 400 people still missing and more than 12,000 homes destroyed. Hopes of finding survivors have all but gone. The president has appealed for international help, reportedly asking Washington to suspend tariffs to aid the recovery.
Colombia’s strongest quake in a century, which struck near San José del Palmar last Monday and levelled parts of Cali, has climbed steadily in its toll as crews reach communities cut off by landslides, and the hundreds still unaccounted for mean it may rise further. With the survival window long past, attention turns to housing tens of thousands left homeless and to a reconstruction bill that will strain a government only weeks in office. The appeal to Washington over tariffs underlines how a natural disaster can quickly become an economic and diplomatic test. The scale of ruin in an impoverished, mountainous region points to a recovery measured in years. Watch how the aid effort is funded and organised.