Colombia earthquake death toll rises to 331

The death toll from a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on Aug. 10 has risen to 331, disaster officials said Tuesday, as the most powerful seismic event to hit the country this century left more than 406,000 people affected across 16 departments.

Rising casualty figures

The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) said 240 people remain missing while rescue teams have pulled 364 survivors from the rubble since the temblor struck at 7.34 am local time (1234GMT). In total, 4,449 people have been injured and 406,273 residents from 188,034 families have been registered as affected across 494 municipalities in 16 of Colombia’s 32 departments.

Infrastructure devastation

The quake has completely destroyed 33,275 homes and damaged another 185,889 across western Colombia, according to Tuesday’s assessment. Authorities reported severe damage to 376 health centers, 3,819 educational facilities and 4,337 community buildings, while transport networks suffered disruption to 440 roads, 74 vehicle bridges, 17 pedestrian bridges and five airports.

Water infrastructure has also sustained major damage, with 119 supply systems affected. The UNGRD noted that the figures remain preliminary as local authorities continue consolidating data from the affected regions, adding that 2,149 animals have been affected and 2,949 rescued as emergency operations proceed in the Pacific department of Choco, where the earthquake struck at an intermediate depth of roughly 110 kilometers (68 miles) near San Jose del Palmar.