Symbolic imageColombia's quake toll passes 280 as the search window closes
Colombia's toll from Monday's magnitude 7.4 quake is now put at 265 to 281 dead, with about 380 people missing and more than 40,000 families affected. Rescuers made a final push on Thursday as the 72-hour window closed.
The quake hit near San Jose del Palmar in Chocó, western Colombia, on Monday, 10 August. Colombian authorities counted 265 dead on Thursday; TASS, citing media, put the toll at 281 on Friday, with 3,971 injured. Crews in Cali and Pereira worked a third night with cranes and sniffer dogs, picking up possible signs of life under a collapsed bakery in Pereira. Hospitals near the epicentre stood at about 300 percent capacity, according to El Tiempo.
Economic emergency declared
De la Espriella, sworn in days before the quake, declared an economic emergency on Wednesday and announced a Miracle Fund for national and international contributions to reconstruction.
Foreign teams arrive, Mexican aid refused
Israel's Home Front Command sent an 80-person delegation on Thursday night at de la Espriella's request, and the UAE pledged $10 million. Bloomberg reported that Colombia rejected Mexican aid; the New York Times said the volunteer group Topos Azteca arrived to search.
Cali improvises its own shelters
In Cali, with 74 dead and more than 150 missing, the mayor's office opened a single shelter for about 60 families; residents built informal camps themselves, El País reported.
Other opinions
The Jerusalem Post frames the Israeli mission through Bogotá's new pro-Israel turn; TASS reports casualty figures alone.