The chances of finding earthquake survivors in Colombia dropped significantly on Friday, four days after the 7.4-magnitude tremor struck, though rescue efforts plowed ahead as hundreds remained missing.
“But our commitment is to never stop searching… De la Espriella’s hard-right administration is facing criticism over allegedly blocking rescue teams from countries with leftist leadership, but it denies the accusation. At least 287 people are dead, while thousands more are injured and some 379 people are unaccounted for, President Abelardo de la Espriella said Thursday. The World Bank said Friday it was disbursing $200 million in emergency funds for the disaster response, as well as a mechanism to assess economic losses to help “prioritize aid and reconstruction efforts.
“What matters is that he’s alive,” said the 43-year-old. The newly appointed president has declared an “economic emergency” and spent the week visiting quake-hit cities, promising rent subsidies to those who lost their homes. The order is to not rest until we find all the missing persons,” he said in a video posted by his agency. Mexico’s leftist President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that Colombia had refused entry to Mexican rescuers over an alleged lack of correct certification.
De la Espriella has faced a tough first week in office, with multiple cities shattered by the tremor and the government yet to publish reconstruction cost estimates.
