Colombia Earthquake Leaves Hundreds Dead and Thousands Homeless as Recovery Efforts Begin
13 sources across 9 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- G1
- CNN Brasil
- Folha de S.Paulo
- El Espectador
- La Silla Vacia
- El Tiempo
- Infobae
- La Tercera
- Sueddeutsche Zeitung
- The Jerusalem Post
- Al Jazeera
- El Pais
- Taipei Times
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, August 10, with its epicenter in San José del Palmar in the Chocó department. The disaster has left 287 people dead, 3,975 injured, and 378 missing, according to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD). The tremor affected 15 departments and 437 municipalities, causing widespread destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals in areas including the port of Buenaventura and the cities of Cali and Pereira. In Pereira, one of the hardest hit cities, rescue operations have shifted from searching for survivors to removing debris and recovering bodies, although a man was recently rescued alive from a collapsed hotel.
President Abelardo de la Espriella has visited Chocó, Risaralda, and Valle del Cauca to announce recovery measures. These include tax relief for victims, rental subsidies, and a special investment plan for the Chocó department, which the president described as a way to settle a historical debt of state abandonment. In Valle del Cauca, the government pledged resources for the reconstruction of medical infrastructure, specifically the Hospital Universitario del Valle. International aid has also arrived, with the United States providing a total of 26.5 million dollars in humanitarian assistance and the World Bank disbursing 200 million dollars for emergency response.
Reporting on the aftermath varies by political perspective. Center left outlets emphasize the humanitarian crisis, highlighting the plight of homeless residents in Pereira and allegations of state neglect in impoverished areas like Buenaventura. Center right outlets focus more on the government's administrative response, such as the Interior Minister's coordination with mayors and the delivery of official lists of missing persons. Center outlets provide a balanced view, reporting on both the logistical challenges of the rescue and the grassroots solidarity among volunteers and professionals who have provided free services to the affected populations.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets focused on the suffering of the displaced, the inadequacy of government aid in poor regions, and the emotional toll on victims.
- Centre
- These outlets highlighted the balance between official rescue efforts and the organic solidarity of community volunteers.
- Centre-right
- These outlets emphasized the government's strategic planning, the official disbursement of aid, and the administrative steps taken for recovery.
Sources
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: Buenaventura residents criticise state neglect after Colombia’s earthquake
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: Families angered by slow search for loved ones after Colombia quake
- Centre CNN Brasil: USA announce additional US$ 11 million in aid to Colombia after earthquake
- Centre-left El Espectador: Earthquake in Colombia: SATENA takes tons of humanitarian aid to Quibdó and Buenaventura
- Centre-left El Espectador: Hotels in Cali join the aid after the earthquake with lodging and collection centers
- Centre-left El Espectador: Governor of Magdalena puts her salary at the disposal of earthquake victims
- Centre-left El Espectador: These are De la Espriella's measures to recover regions affected after earthquake
- Centre-left El Pais: The solidarity that moved Colombia after the earthquake: “We were left with gratitude for life”
- Centre-right El Tiempo: Legal Medicine delivered first list of missing persons from earthquake in Colombia: these are the full names and last place where they were seen
- Centre-right El Tiempo: Hands that relieve after the earthquake: the story of the health brigade that assists exhausted rescuers and volunteers in Cali
- Centre Folha de S.Paulo: Searches for survivors give way to removal of debris and welcoming of homeless
- Centre-left G1: Five days after earthquake in Colombia, residents seek shelter in buildings that could collapse at any moment
- Centre-right Infobae: Risaralda expands damage review after earthquake: Lara heard 12 mayors
- Centre La Silla Vacia: The majority of rescues in earthquakes are done by local teams and the community
- Centre-right La Tercera: President of Colombia announces a "special plan" for Chocó, epicenter of the 7.4 earthquake
- Centre-left Sueddeutsche Zeitung: Colombia: The rescued babies of Cali
- Centre-left Taipei Times: Colombia quake rescue efforts continue
- Centre-right The Jerusalem Post: Race to reach trapped survivor offers hope in Colombia quake zone
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.