Rescuers Pull Baby From Rubble After Colombia Earthquake

Casualty estimates climbed through Tuesday and varied by source. The Colombian Association of Capital Cities put the toll at 132 dead and more than 570 injured on Monday afternoon. By Tuesday, President Abelardo de la Espriella said at least 181 people had died and 2,595 had been hurt, while the federal government's last formal update still listed 111. Mayors and governors in Cali, Pereira, Choco and Manizales counted 179 deaths in those four areas alone, according to the Associated Press (AP). Roughly 1,600 buildings were reported damaged or destroyed. The AP reported more than 3,000 people missing, while civilian-run databases put the number unaccounted for at close to 4,000.

De la Espriella, who was inaugurated only days before the disaster, declared a national state of emergency and ordered what he described as the entire military and police apparatus into the affected region, together with engineers and search dogs. Curfews were imposed in Cali, Armenia and Manizales, with Cali's mayor saying threats of looting had forced him to put police and troops on the streets, and airports in six cities were damaged. Foreign aid arrived quickly: the United States pledged $15.5 million for emergency shelter, food, protection and earthquake assessments, Mexico offered hundreds of search and medical personnel, and El Salvador said it would fly in 100 tonnes of supplies. The wider region is still reeling from twin earthquakes that killed more than 6,000 people in neighbouring Venezuela in June.