|
On Saturday night, de la Espriella wrote on X that he spoke with
Trump and thanked him for aid sent by the U.S. in response to
the earthquake. He added that he “asked him to consider the
temporary suspension of the high tariffs that affect Colombian
products, in order to provide relief to our businesspeople, who
are facing very difficult times due to the effects of the
earthquake.”
There has been no immediate response from the Trump
administration to de la Espriella's request. The U.S. has
offered a total of $26.5 million in earthquake aid, including
food, shelters and health supplies, according to the U.S. State
Department.
The earthquake that struck Monday morning devastated parts of
western Colombia, hitting cities including Pereira, Cali and
Quibdo. Cities along the country's Pacific coast were hit
particularly hard. The president declared the quake a national
disaster.
The government has said that 143 people are missing, while other
civilian-run databases put the number in the thousands.
The natural disaster, whose epicenter was in one of the poorest
regions of the country, Choco, has so far left 3,937 people
injured, according to the government. In addition, it destroyed
14,705 homes and damaged another 81,536.
In Cali, Colombia's third biggest city, workers searched for the
more than 70 people reported missing in that city. Hope remained
alive even after the key 48 to 72 hour window to find survivors
beneath the rubble has long passed.
“Miracles do happen” even though more than 120 hours have passed
since the earthquake struck, said Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder from
the unified command post. "We are working where we know there
are still victims; we are working in the hope of rescuing people
alive.”
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
