Colombia earthquake death toll rises to 224 VIDEO / UPDATED

The death toll from the earthquake in Colombia has risen to 224, Reuters reports, citing authorities.

It said emergency responders are racing to find survivors after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in western Colombia.

The government has declared a national disaster, and world leaders have offered assistance.

Emergency teams aided by police, soldiers and volunteers worked through the ​night with excavators and, at times, their bare hands, hunting for survivors beneath debris.

16:28

The death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Colombia has risen to 169, nearly 24 hours after the disaster, while search, rescue and damage assessment efforts continue in the most affected areas.

Of the 169 fatalities recorded so far, 165 were reported in capital cities, accounting for 97.6% of the total, Caliber.Az reports, citing BluRadio.

Earlier, footage circulated showing rescuers pulling a live infant from the rubble of one of the collapsed buildings.

Cali, Pereira, Quibdó and Manizales have suffered the heaviest losses.

The figures remain preliminary and are expected to change as rescue teams continue searching affected areas and local authorities carry out Damage and Needs Assessments (DANA).

15:26

Spanish authorities have been unable to contact 164 Spanish nationals following the earthquake in Colombia, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has said.

The FM noted that the whereabouts of the Spaniards are currently unknown, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck near the city of San José del Palmar in Colombia’s Chocó department on August 10.

At least 132 people were killed, and 2,700 are missing.

Authorities have warned that the death toll could rise as search teams reach more affected areas in a big challenge for newly elected far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella.

12:00

At least 188 people have gone missing in Colombia’s Valle del Cauca department following a devastating earthquake, according to President Abelardo de la Espriella.

The disaster has also disrupted electricity supplies in several regions across the country, with the operator of Colombia’s National Interconnected Power System reporting partial outages, Caliber.Az reports per BluRadio.

The most severe outages were recorded in the Chocó department, where electricity services have been disrupted by approximately 60%.

08:11

At least 132 people have been killed and a state of emergency declared after one of the strongest earthquakes to hit Colombia in years.

The death toll is expected to rise, with more people feared trapped beneath collapsed buildings, Caliber.Az reports via British media.

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on August 10 at a depth of 103 kilometres in Chocó province, according to Colombia’s geological service. The powerful tremor was felt across a vast area, stretching hundreds of miles through western Colombia.

Many of the fatalities were reported in Pereira, a major city in Colombia’s coffee-growing region, while surrounding cities and the Valle del Cauca region also suffered significant damage.

The earthquake’s epicentre was located near the village of San José del Palmar in Chocó province. However, local mayor León Fabio Marín Moncada said there had miraculously been no deaths or injuries in the village, despite damage to roads leading in and out of the area.

More than 480 people were injured in the earthquake, Colombia’s Association of Capital Cities said in an updated statement on August 10.

Located about 55 kilometres from the epicentre, Pereira suffered some of the most severe damage.

Local authorities reported at least 40 deaths in the city’s metropolitan area, with 65 buildings collapsing. People are believed to remain trapped inside 15 of those structures.

In Cali, located around 160 kilometres south of Pereira and approximately 200 kilometers from the epicentre, 32 buildings collapsed.

Tremors from the earthquake were also felt in neighbouring countries, including Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.

By Jeyhun Aghazada