Colombia is looking for survivors after an earthquake that killed 132 people

Colombia is looking for survivors after an earthquake that killed 132 people

Erbil (Kurdistan24) - Rescue workers and volunteers in Colombia on Tuesday continue to remove rubble in a race against time to find survivors of the strongest earthquake to hit the country in the last decade, a disaster that has so far killed 132 people, injured 570 others and destroyed dozens of buildings.

Asocapitales, a body set up by major cities in Colombia to coordinate their efforts on various issues, reported that "the death toll has now risen to 132 people, with 87 deaths in major cities and more than 570 injuries".

Earlier figures indicated 111 people were killed and 87 injured by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake, which hit early Monday morning in Choco County, a poor region on the Pacific coast.

The earthquake has sparked panic in the country's major western cities, prompting thousands of residents to take to the streets, according to AFP reporters at the site.

"I ran into the street without carrying anything; there were hundreds of people", said Julian Peña, a dentist from Kibedo, the capital of Chuco province, noting that some of the victims were praying for survival.