The number of victims of the earthquake in Colombia has increased to 285 souls

JAKARTA - The number of deaths due to an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter scale in Colombia has increased to 285 people, while 3,975 people were injured, 379 people were reported missing and 354 people were rescued, said the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) on Friday.

UNGRD Director David Santiago Tamayo said search and rescue operations remained a priority, especially in areas where people were believed to be trapped in collapsed buildings.

"Unfortunately, the chances of finding survivors are decreasing," Tamayo said, stressing that rescue teams will continue to try to find all those reported missing, Anadolu (14/8) reported.

An earthquake hit western Colombia on August 10, causing widespread damage in several cities and damaging homes, schools, hospitals, and other vital infrastructure.

The epicenter was near San Jose del Palmar in the Choco department, and the tremors were felt in other parts of the country, including Bogota and neighboring countries.

According to the latest national assessment, 15 departments and 426 cities were affected by the earthquake, while 45,523 families and 102,263 people were affected.

UNGRD reported 71,763 houses damaged, 12,597 destroyed and 121 buildings collapsed.

The earthquake also severely impacted public infrastructure, with 2,205 educational centers and 240 health facilities damaged.

Authorities also reported damage to 1,208 community centers, 210 roads, 73 water supply systems, 44 vehicle bridges, 13 overpasses and five airports.

The scale of the damage has disrupted essential services, transport, education, health services and water supplies in affected areas, adding pressure on emergency response agencies.

International search and rescue teams have been deployed to affected areas to support Colombian emergency response teams in operations targeting collapsed buildings and confined spaces.

Rescue and relief operations continue while authorities are trying to find missing people, help affected communities and assess the level of damage caused by the earthquake.