Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (WAM)
The United Arab Emirates expressed its solidarity with the Republic of Colombia over an earthquake that struck the country and resulted in deaths and injuries, in addition to substantial damage to property.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and to the Republic of Colombia and its people over this tragedy, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured.
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, killing at least 69 people, toppling dozens of buildings and reverberating in nearby countries too, AFP reported.
Emergency teams rushed to help victims and search for survivors under the rubble after the quake hit the coastal Choco region at 7.34am local time.
The tremor, with an epicenter 100 kilometres deep in the San Jose del Palmar municipality, killed at least 40 people in the Risaralda region.
"The situation is critical," Mayor Mauricio Salazar of the provincial capital Pereira told Caracol Radio.
Twenty-seven people were killed in the Valle del Cauca department, and two more died in the city of Manizales, in Colombia's coffee-growing region.
