Pereira.- Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella stated this Friday after touring the city of Pereira (central-west), one of the most affected by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that shook the country last Monday, that the situation in the capital of Risaralda is “apocalyptic”.
“Walking through the center of Pereira, walking through the city, makes one’s heart ache. But we Colombians are used to rising to the occasion in the midst of adversity, and let’s just say we have never had it easy. And believe me, this situation is not going to be too much for us,” he stated.
The Colombian president, who also met with local authorities, indicated that in Pereira there have been 94 deaths, 259 injuries, and 140,000 people affected from 41,600 families.
These figures of victims contrast with those offered hours earlier by the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), in which the number of people affected was placed at 102,262 from 45,523 families throughout the country.
De la Espriella also recalled that Pereira has a total of 260 missing persons. “Our prayers and all our will are with those missing people,” he expressed.
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The reconstruction plan
The president also pointed out that 90 tons of humanitarian aid have arrived in the capital of Risaralda «through the office of the first lady», Ana Lucía Pineda.
“We are going to continue working. Look, this circumstance in Pereira and the department requires special action. Therefore, everything that this wonderful land requires for its reconstruction will be included in the economic emergency that I will present next week,” the president detailed.
De la Espriella declared an economic emergency this Wednesday, a legal mechanism to channel national and international funds and boost the country’s reconstruction following the earthquake, the most severe suffered in Colombia so far this century.
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According to the latest figures from Colombian authorities, the earthquake has left a total of 285 dead, 379 missing, 3,975 injured, and 12,828 homes destroyed.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.4 according to the Colombian Geological Service (SGC), had its epicenter in the vicinity of San José del Palmar, in Chocó, one of the most neglected departments in the country.
