Colombia continues to mourn as the death toll from a 7.4-magnitude earthquake that hit on Monday has risen to 181. The tremor has been followed by 47 aftershocks.
Meanwhile, Argentina and other countries in the region have expressed solidarity and offered assistance to the new government led by President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office on Friday.
The latest casualty figure comes from a preliminary assessment by the Colombian Association of Capital Cities (Asocapitales, by its Spanish acronym), which said that almost all of the reported victims lived in Colombia’s departmental capitals.
The cities hardest hit in terms of destruction and fatalities so far are Cali, with 85 deaths, and Pereira, with 66. Quibdó and Manizales are also among the areas affected, with nine and five reported deaths, respectively.
According to Asocapitales, at least 1,300 people have been injured and 165 buildings have collapsed in capital cities as of Tuesday morning. Search-and-rescue operations and damage assessments are ongoing.
