Bogotá.- The 7.4 magnitude earthquake last Monday in Colombia caused damage to 40 cultural heritage sites in seven departments of the country, the Ministry of Culture reported this Friday.
The cultural assets that suffered some damage are located in Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Chocó, Caldas, and Quindío, which were the departments most affected by the earthquake, as well as in Antioquia and Cauca, explained the new Minister of Culture, Paola Holguín.
According to the official, of the 40 properties, 22 suffered what she called “high impact“, in which the damage is greater than 55% of the structure; 13 of medium magnitude (32.5%) and five of low magnitude (12.5%).
“This information has been gathered thanks to the efforts of official sources, the Secretariats of Culture, the governorates, territorial entities for risk management, technical support networks, and missions from the Ministry itself,” said Holguín.
Among the assets that suffered damage are the historic, ancient, or cultural centers of the municipalities of Jardín, Jericó, Abejorral, and Santa Fe de Antioquia, all in the department of the same name; Popayán (Cauca); Manizales, Aguadas, and Salamina (Caldas); and Cali, Buga, Cartago, and El Cerrito (Valle del Cauca).
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“The report also takes into account infrastructure associated with the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Cultural Heritage, which covers areas in 51 municipalities and is currently facing a crisis following the earthquake,” the Ministry added.
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According to the information, the disaster left “serious damage in more than 60% of urban centers, housing collapses, blocked roads, and power outages in the rural sector, with destruction of up to 80% in the places closest to the epicenter,” such as Sevilla, El Cairo, and El Águila, towns in Valle del Cauca.
The powerful earthquake has left to date at least 288 people dead, 202 missing, and 4,018 injured, according to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
The earthquake, which had its epicenter in the town of San José del Palmar, in the Chocó department, in the Pacific region, also left 102,262 people affected, belonging to 45,523 families, and 12,828 homes destroyed.
