Bogotá.- The Vice President of Colombia, José Manuel Restrepo, and his wife, Tatiana Céspedes, have called for a national day of prayer next Friday for the victims of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on August 10, which has left at least 329 people dead and 247 missing.
The event will take place on August 28 at 6:00 PM local time (23:00 GMT) and will have the Plaza de Bolívar in Bogotá as its central point, while Restrepo invited Colombians to participate from different parts of the country.
“Colombia is going through a moment of deep pain, but it is also a time to unite“, the vice president wrote this Sunday on his social media, where he explained that the meeting seeks to accompany the victims and their families, as well as to pray for “healing, hope, and the reconstruction of Colombia“.
In a video released along with the call, Restrepo and Céspedes pointed out that during their tours of the affected areas they have encountered not only the pain of those who lost family members, but also that of the people who lost their homes and what they had built over the years.
“Faced with that pain, we want to invite you to meet, to accompany each other as Colombians, to embrace those who are suffering today,” stated Restrepo.
The call also includes lighting a candle for each life and each family affected as a symbol of solidarity and support.
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Restrepo asked that the day respect “every faith and every form of prayer” and proposed the meeting as a space to set aside differences and focus on the country’s recovery.
“Let us pray for the victims and their families, for those who today need strength to move forward, for the healing, hope, and reconciliation of our country,” added the senior official.
The earthquake, whose epicenter was recorded in the municipality of San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, has affected more than 314,000 people in 481 municipalities across sixteen departments, according to the most recent report from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
The emergency also leaves at least 4,600 people injured and more than 154,000 families affected.
The Government has begun shifting its efforts from emergency care toward the reconstruction of the hardest-hit areas, a phase in which Restrepo has participated through tours and meetings with local authorities.
