President Abelardo de la Espriella said Tuesday that 181 people died following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Colombia on Monday [1].
The disaster has caused widespread devastation across several regions, prompting the government to implement emergency financial relief to stabilize local commerce.
The earthquake occurred at 7:34 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 10, with an epicentre in the municipality of San [2]. The quake reached a depth of 82 km [5]. The most affected cities include Cali in Valle del Cauca, Pereira in Risaralda, Manizales in Caldas, and Chocó [2].
During his update, de la Espriella said the current casualty balance includes 1,595 injured and 195 missing [1]. While some early reports placed the death toll at 169 and the injured at more than 660 [6, 7], the president provided the higher figures during his official address.
"Confirmamos 181 fallecidos, 195 desaparecidos y 1.595 heridos," de la Espriella said [1].
To support the recovery of the economy, the president said that merchants will receive three months of free public-service payments [1]. This measure aims to alleviate the financial burden on business owners in the hardest-hit zones as they begin to rebuild their infrastructure.
Rescue teams continue to search for the missing across the affected municipalities. The government has not yet provided a timeline for when search operations will conclude, though the focus remains on the most heavily damaged urban centers [2].
“"Confirmamos 181 fallecidos, 195 desaparecidos y 1.595 heridos."”
The scale of the casualties and the government's immediate move to waive public-service fees suggest significant structural damage to commercial districts. By targeting merchants, the administration is attempting to prevent a secondary economic collapse in the Andean and Pacific regions, where the quake's impact was most severe.
