The situation in western Colombia four days after a massive 7.4 earthquake hit on Monday has become increasingly dire as untold numbers of deceased victims remain trapped under rubble, their bodies decaying and threatening to cause a public health crisis.
\n\nComplicating factors include high temperatures hovering at or near 90ºF and the widespread destruction of plumbing and water pipes, ensuring the large piles of rubble remain moist and hospitable to pathogens. While search and rescue operations seeking survivors continue, the survival window is largely believed to be around 72 hours. Some parts of Colombia, such as the city of Cali, announced on Friday they would continue to search for survivors for another 48 hours before shifting resources to help the survivors already found and locate and identify the missing.
\n\nA 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit the western Colombian department, or state, or Chocó on Monday, sending entire building blocks crumbling and leaving many more standing precariously, unusable as shelter. As of Friday, the Colombian government has documented 281 deaths, over 3,970 injured, and 379 people missing. Death counts tend to arrive slowly after earthquakes as the process of sifting through the rubble is often onerous and time-consuming. In Chocó and neighboring departments…
Original source: https://www.breitbart.com/latin-america/
