Colombia declares three days of mourning after deadly earthquake | Earthquakes News | Al Jazeera Skip linksSkip to Contentplay Live Sign upShow navigation menuNavigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfrica.
The government said on Wednesday that flags would be lowered to half-staff at official buildings and Colombian embassies around the world “in honour of all the dead”.
list 1 of 4Search for survivors underway in Colombia’s earthquake aftermath.
list 2 of 4Colombia scrambles to find survivors after deadly earthquake.
No local em Cali, a cidade mais afetada da Colômbia após o terremoto.
list 4 of 4Woman rescued after 36 hours under rubble in Colombia.
Monday’s magnitude 7. 4 earthquake was the strongest to hit the country in a century. It flattened buildings and damaged roads across western Colombia. More than 100 aftershocks had been recorded by Tuesday afternoon.
The disaster is also an early test for President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office just three days before the earthquake. The first-time president came to power after a divisive election and is now facing the first major crisis of his presidency.
Figuras do governo colocam o número de feridos em 2. 595 e o número oficialmente desaparecido em 195, embora bancos de dados administrados por civis sugiram que o número de pessoas desaparecidas poderia ser mais próximo de 4.
The search for survivors has become increasingly urgent as the disaster enters its third day. Aid agencies said the first 48 to 72 hours are generally the most critical for finding people alive beneath collapsed buildings although people can survive longer if they have access to water and food.
Crews worked through the night in some of the hardest-hit cities, including Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo. In Pereira and Cali, rescuers used cranes, search dogs and heavy machinery while volunteers formed human chains to clear debris by hand.
Em Cali, bairros inteiros apareceram achatados com pilhas de escombros onde antes ficavam quarteirões de casas e prédios de apartamentos e carros esmagados sob concreto e paredes caídas.
Moradores se juntaram a bombeiros nas buscas por sobreviventes, cavando com picaretas, pás e as mãos nuas e parando periodicamente para ouvir sinais de vida.
But the full scale of the destruction is still unclear, particularly in rural areas where little information has been coming out.
That includes Choco near the earthquake’s epicentre and one of the poorest regions in the country. Many communities there can only be reached by boat, through the jungle or by air.
The region has also long been affected by violence between armed groups, making it even harder to reach remote areas.
O terremoto colocou partes do sistema de saúde da Colômbia sob uma enorme pressão. Parte do Hospital Universitario del Valle em Cali desabou, forçando os médicos a transferir pacientes para um estacionamento e tratar algumas pessoas ao ar livre.
Colombians have mobilised to help. Thousands have brought food, water and other supplies to affected neighbourhoods while long lines have formed outside blood donation centres.
De la Espriella has declared a state of emergency and promised rent subsidies for families who lost their homes.
But for rescue crews, the immediate focus remains searching the rubble.
Fontes
Informação baseada em material público de Al Jazeera, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
