SÃO PAULO, Brazil – Rescue workers in Colombia were continuing their search for survivors on Tuesday, after the South American country experienced an earthquake that was the most powerful ever recorded in its territory.
At least 169 people were killed and more than 600 were injured in the temblor, though more than 2,700 people had been reported missing by Monday evening and the death toll is expected to rise.
“The first night is crucial [for rescuing victims trapped in collapsed buildings],” Bishop Juan Carlos Barreto of the Diocese of Soacha, who heads Colombian Caritas, told Crux Now.
The magnitude-7.4 earthquake had its epicenter in the small municipality of San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, at 7:34 in the morning, and made itslef felt in major cities including Pereira, Manizales and Armenia – all three parts of the so-called Coffee Axis – as well as in Cali.
At least 61 buildings completely collapsed.
The quake that struck western Colombia on Aug. 10 surprised many with its unprecedented strength and duration, but Church reacted quickly, mobilizing Caritas teams in all affected areas.
“The government has been coordinating the operations, and many Caritas volunteers are involved in the process,” Barreto said.
Barreto told Crux Now he spent the day speaking with local Caritas directors, parish priests and bishops to gain an initial assessment of the impact.
He also contacted members of Caritas organizations in Europe, Latin America and the United States to take the first steps toward establishing international cooperation.
“The next step,” he said, “is to meet with all food bank directors and determine the volume of donations that will be necessary.”
The Archdiocese of Bogotá – which reported no damage to any of its parishes – maintains the central food bank, while major cities in each region have local food banks.
Those located in the most affected areas – in municipalities such as Buenaventura, Pereira, Armenia, Cali and Quibdó – are already operating, the bishop said. Next Sunday, a drive will be held to collect donations.
Church organizations have been active for months in the relief and rebuilding efforts still underway in Venezuela, which borders Colombia to the northeast, where powerful earthquakes struck in June.
“As was the case in Venezuela, we should prioritize monetary donations,” Barreto said, noting also that “transporting donated goods would be challenging at this point, given that many roads have been closed.”
While most of Colombia has not been affected, areas already facing poverty and marginalization were hit particularly hard, such as the department of Chocó, which has a majority of Afro-Colombian population and frequently struggles with communications and power outages.
“With the quake, it’s even harder now to get in touch with them,” Barreto said.
Father Diego Guzman, who heads the Caritas branch of the Archdiocese of Cali, said that at least 30 buildings had collapsed in the city. The current reported death toll is 23, but he expects it to rise.
“Given the number of affected homes, I fear more deaths will be reported over the next few days as rescue operations advance,” he told Crux Now.
Guzman said the strength of the earthquake was surprising.
“It took so long to stop. I think it went on for more than a minute. As soon as it ended, we went out to see the devastation,” he said.
Church buildings were damaged, including the curia and the cathedral of Cali. Another church had its roof destroyed.
“Thank God, the people in Cali have been very supportive. Many have been helping rescue victims from the rubble and taking food and water to those who lost their homes,” Guzman said.
Father John Edison Márquez of the Archdiocese of Manizales said that five people had died in the city and that the destruction was considerable.
“The atmosphere is calm, thankfully, despite many collapses. Vice President José Manuel Restrepo came to the city to coordinate the rescue efforts,” Márquez told Crux Now.
A curfew was declared in the city to prevent looters from ransacking partially destroyed homes. Márquez said many churches had been damaged, including Manizales cathedral, the tallest cathedral in Colombia.
“One of its towers collapsed. Similar things happened to other churches,” he said.
Bishop Barreto said that it would only be possible to estimate the damage suffered by Church buildings after the meeting with all Caritas heads, but he had already been informed of several churches affected in Pereira and Quibdó.
He hopes rescue operations will be successful, given the experience of many Colombian volunteers in dealing with catastrophes such as floods, fires and even bomb attacks carried out by guerrilla and paramilitary groups.
“International rescue teams have been contacting us to offer help,” he said.
That has been a major challenge for President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office on Aug. 7. A far-right politician, he pledged to restore peace in the nation by taking a tough stance against political violence and crime, but now he is having to deal with a natural disaster.
“He visited Quibdó. Nobody can deny that he has a great ability to communicate. He makes decisions and immediately talks to the people about what will be done,” Barreto concluded.
Caritas will establish a national strategy on August 12, after Caritas delegates report the most pressing needs in the devastated areas.