President Abelardo de la Espriella estimates Colombia earthquake damage at $9.6 billion
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
President Abelardo de la Espriella estimates direct material damage from the Aug. 10 earthquake at 30 trillion pesos ($9.6 billion). The disaster killed 289 people, injured 4,187 and left 142 missing, and destroyed 26,945 homes. The preliminary assessment covers five departments, with Choco facing the highest proportional damage.
Key Facts
- Direct material damage from the Aug. 10 Colombia earthquake is estimated at nearly 30 trillion pesos ($9.6 billion), President Abelardo de la Espriella said.
- The estimate attributes 24.5 trillion pesos to buildings and 5.5 trillion pesos to infrastructure across Choco, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Quindio and Caldas.
- The earthquake killed 289 people, injured 4,187 and left 142 missing.
- The earthquake destroyed 26,945 homes and damaged 127,557.
- The 7.4-magnitude tremor struck near San José del Palmar in Choco department.
Damage Estimate
President Abelardo de la Espriella said a private firm calculated direct material damage from the 10 August earthquake at nearly 30 trillion pesos ($9.6 billion). The preliminary figure covers Choco, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Quindio and Caldas, with 24.5 trillion pesos assigned to buildings and 5.5 trillion pesos to infrastructure. He said that although Choco's absolute damage is smaller than in other departments, its proportional damage is the highest. The president called for a 'Marshall Plan' for Choco, saying the department deserves special attention.
Human Toll and Response
The earthquake killed 289 people, injured 4,187 and left 142 missing, according to the latest data. The earthquake destroyed 26,945 homes and damaged 127,557. The 7.4-magnitude tremor struck near San José del Palmar in Choco department on Colombia's Pacific coast. For assistance, 138 foreign rescuers from the United States, Ecuador and Israel arrived in the country.
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President Abelardo de la Espriella estimates Colombia earthquake damage at $9.6 billion
