Vice President of Colombia Restrepo Leads Post-Earthquake Handling

Earthquake in Colombia. (Twitter/@weatherchannel)

JAKARTA - Colombian Vice President José Manuel Restrepo will lead the post-earthquake response in the country, while the death toll continues to rise.

The earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 at a depth of 107 kilometers (66 miles) occurred near San Jose del Palmar, Choco Province, Colombia on Monday, Al Arabiya reported from Reuters (11/8).

Vice President Restrepo, announced that he was heading to Manizales to lead the Integrated Command Post, a place to coordinate the efforts to handle the earthquake.

"The difficult situation we are facing requires solidarity and concrete action," Vice President Restrepo said in a message posted on social media, quoted by CNN.

Manizales, located in the Caldas Department, is one of the areas most severely affected by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook western Colombia on Monday.

The Vice President also stated that he would work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to arrange the arrival of assistance and support from the international community.

Meanwhile, the Association of Capital Cities of Colombia - which previously attended a disaster management meeting with President Abelard de la Espriella - said at least 132 people were killed and 570 people were injured by yesterday's earthquake.

Five capital cities (departments/provinces) across Colombia are on red alert, 86 buildings have collapsed, and seven airports have suspended operations, the association added.

The earthquake was also reported to have caused dozens of buildings to collapse, as well as damage to 1,575 houses, 18 health facilities, 52 educational facilities, 17 community activity centers and 18 roads.