Colombia quake death toll rises to 294

BOGOTA -- The death toll from the recent magnitude-7.4 earthquake in Colombia rose to 294 on Saturday, with 3,935 people injured, 320 missing and 353 rescued, according to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).

In its latest update, the agency said the disaster had affected 54,008 families, or 115,461 people, across 448 municipalities in 15 departments. It also reported that 66 buildings had collapsed, while 14,493 homes were destroyed and 81,506 others damaged.

The national government has approved the deployment of international assistance, including UN-certified search and rescue teams from the United States, Ecuador and Israel, the UNGRD said in a post on X.

The agency said Colombia's emergency response capacity had not been overwhelmed so far, while authorities were continuing to assess the need for additional international support.