Colombia’s earthquake body recovery!
Cali, Colombia, Aug 16 (EFE).- By Mario Baos
Dozens of rescue workers from various countries are working tirelessly to recover the bodies of those who died under tons of rubble in Cali, one of the hardest-hit cities, along with Pereira, in the powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake that shook Colombia and left nearly 300 dead one week ago.
In Cali, the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, emergency teams are working 24-hour shifts to address the most critical areas.
According to the authorities’ assessment, 46 buildings have completely collapsed, and another 534 have been evacuated.
One of the main sites of operation is the Torres del Limonar residential complex, where rescue agencies are focusing their efforts on recovering three trapped victims.
Firefighters from Cali, Bogotá, and Jamundí are working in coordination at this site with members of the Navy and police rescue teams, as well as with specialized teams from the Israel Defense Forces, who arrived in the city to support search, engineering, and rescue operations.
25 bodies have already been recovered at Torres del Limonar, and emergency teams have located three more victims, whose remains are expected to be extracted before the end of Sunday.
Once this phase is complete, the authorities will begin removing tons of debris in order to start the recovery and stabilization process.
One of the heartbreaking stories resulting from the tragedy is that of journalist Carlos Aponte, who lost his parents, a niece, and two pets.
“We are working at three locations: here in Torres del Limonar, at the Hospital Universitario del Valle, and at the Vanessa building. We are carrying out engineering, rescue, and intelligence operations,” said Major Roni Kaplan, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, in an interview with EFE.
At the Vanessa building, he added, specialists are helping the authorities determine the exact location of the bodies before cranes and other heavy machinery are brought in.
“We will stay as long as necessary for the rescue efforts and will continue to work with local authorities to begin the city’s reconstruction,” he stated.
After over 140 hours of operations, authorities consider the emergency is entering a new phase in which the focus is gradually shifting from search and rescue to recovering affected areas and removing debris.
“We must always thank the community because they were key to this rescue operation. After six days and over 140 hours, we are wrapping up the search and rescue operations and moving forward with debris removal,” said Milton Castrillón, a spokesperson for the Cali Mayor’s Office, in an interview with EFE.
Castrillón added that efforts will continue to restore the affected areas and provide support to families who have lost loved ones.
The earthquake has also left the city facing a massive economic challenge.
Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder estimated that 10 trillion Colombian pesos (about 3.2 billion dollars) will be needed over three years to stabilize the current situation and rebuild Cali.
The mayor proposed creating a special financing mechanism similar to the Fund for Reconstruction and Social Development of the Coffee Region (Forec), which was established after the 1999 earthquake. The aim is to pool resources from various sources and allocate them to the recovery of Cali and other affected areas in southwestern Colombia.
According to Eder, he presented the proposal to the national government during Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella’s visit to the city on Friday.
“We told the president that we need 10 trillion pesos and presented him with the details. I told him that Cali is ready to contribute the first trillion pesos. We’ve already made that commitment and contributed the funds,” he said.
As recovery efforts continue, relief agencies keep their teams deployed in the hardest-hit areas. Their priorities are completing the recovery of victims and beginning a new phase of intervention on damaged structures. EFE
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