Colombia moves to recovery a week after deadly earthquake

A magnitude‑6.2 earthquake struck the southwestern department of Cauca in Colombia on August 10, killing at least 45 people, injuring more than 200 and leaving thousands homeless. Search and rescue teams from the National Police, the military, and international partners worked continuously for the first 48 hours, extracting survivors from collapsed homes and clearing debris from main thoroughfares in the towns of Popayán and Santander de Quilichao. The Colombian government declared a state of emergency, mobilizing the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management and allocating emergency funds to support immediate relief operations.

One week after the tremor, authorities have shifted focus from rescue to providing shelter, food, medical care and initiating reconstruction. Temporary housing units have been erected in designated camps, while the Ministry of Health distributes medicines and mental‑health services to affected families. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and several NGOs are coordinating the delivery of food parcels and clean water, and the Ministry of Housing has launched a rapid‑assessment program to evaluate structural damage and prioritize rebuilding of schools and health centers. Officials say the coordinated effort aims to restore basic services and support long‑term recovery in the quake‑hit region.