Colombia declares emergency in quake-hit regions

Bogota, Aug 20 (AHN) Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has signed a decree declaring a 30-day state of economic, social and ecological emergency in parts of the country hit by the August 10 earthquake.

The decree, signed after a cabinet meeting in Bogota on Wednesday (local time), covers 15 affected departments, including Valle del Cauca, Risaralda and Caldas, as the government seeks to respond to what it described as a grave public calamity.

De la Espriella said the emergency measures were aimed at not only rebuilding damaged homes, but also restoring businesses and essential public infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, reports Xinhua news agency.

Colombia was facing the "most complex" fiscal situation in its republican history, making extraordinary measures necessary, he said.

The president said his government would cut spending on some non-priority programs from the previous administration to meet current national needs, while ensuring that the most vulnerable people were not affected.

According to figures released by Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management as of Wednesday evening, the 7.4-magnitude earthquake in western Colombia had killed 319 people, injured 4,469 and left 260 missing. A total of 364 people had been rescued.

The agency said 476 municipalities across 15 departments had been affected, with some 272,830 people impacted by the disaster.

National and international search-and-rescue teams continued combing through the rubble to locate the missing people, with 358 people reportedly rescued so far.

Colombia's Foreign Ministry said more than 220 tonnes of humanitarian aid had arrived in the country and 144 international specialists had joined emergency response efforts.

Many affected residents remained in temporary shelters and tents in parks in the hardest-hit areas of Valle del Cauca, Risaralda and Choco.