Published 4 days ago • loading... • Updated 2 days ago
Canada Pledges $2 Million in Aid for Earthquake Relief in Colombia
Canada is directing funds to food, shelter, hygiene and water services as aid groups say 406,273 people are registered as affected.
On Tuesday, the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management reported the death toll from the August 10 magnitude 7.4 earthquake in western Colombia reached 331, marking the most powerful seismic event to hit the country this century.
The quake struck near San Jose del Palmar in the Pacific department of Choco at an intermediate depth of 107 kilometres, destroying 33,275 homes and damaging 185,889 others across the region.
Emergency teams continue searching for 240 missing persons, while 4,449 people have been injured and 364 rescued alive, with significant disruption to 440 roads, 376 health centres, and 3,819 educational facilities.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced Canada is providing more than $2 million in aid to support recovery, with funds assisting the World Food Programme and Canadian Lutheran World Relief.
Across 494 municipalities, 406,273 people from 188,034 families have been officially registered as affected, while Global Affairs has already provided nearly $8.5 million in aid this year for humanitarian efforts.