~At least 77 reported dead as buildings collapse and rescue operations continue; VSA Minister Claret Connor says all Sint Maarten patients receiving treatment in Colombia have been accounted for.~
PHILIPSBURG/BOGOTÁ:--- A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia Monday morning, killing dozens of people, collapsing buildings and triggering emergency rescue operations across several cities, while Sint Maarten authorities have confirmed that patients sent to Colombia for medical treatment are safe.
The earthquake struck at approximately 7:34 a.m. Colombian time on Monday, August 10, with its epicentral area near San José del Palmar in the western department of Chocó. The powerful shaking was felt across large areas of Colombia and beyond the country's borders.
The U.S. Geological Survey located the epicenter approximately five kilometers east of San José del Palmar. The earthquake occurred at considerable depth, but despite that depth, the magnitude of the event produced destructive shaking across western Colombia.
As emergency crews continued searching damaged buildings Monday, the death toll climbed sharply. Reuters reported at least 77 people dead, while rescue teams continued searching for people believed to be trapped beneath collapsed structures. Because search-and-rescue and damage assessments remain underway, the casualty figures remain preliminary and could change.
Some of the heaviest destruction has been reported in western Colombian cities including Pereira and Cali, while damage has also been reported in Chocó and other areas.
Associated Press reported widespread destruction, with buildings collapsing and residents trapped beneath rubble. Pereira and Cali were among the areas reporting significant loss of life. The earthquake was also felt outside Colombia, including in neighboring countries.
In Chocó, where the earthquake was centered, authorities reported deaths, injuries and damage to buildings. Earlier reports from Chocó Governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi confirmed casualties and structural damage as authorities attempted to determine the full impact across communities close to the epicentral area.
The emergency was further complicated by aftershocks. A magnitude 5.0 aftershock was recorded less than an hour after the main earthquake, adding to fears among residents who had evacuated buildings following the initial shaking.
Images emerging from affected areas showed residents, firefighters and rescue personnel working around collapsed and heavily damaged structures.
Sint Maarten Patients Accounted For
The disaster immediately raised concerns in Sint Maarten because patients insured through Social & Health Insurances SZV are regularly sent abroad, including to Colombia, for specialized medical treatment.
Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Claret Connor said Monday that he immediately contacted SZV after receiving reports about the earthquake to establish the condition of Sint Maarten patients currently undergoing medical treatment in Colombia.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of VSA, SZV contacted both the patients and the medical institutions where they are receiving treatment.
All Sint Maarten patients have been accounted for and are safe, according to the information received by the ministry.
The confirmation provides important reassurance to families in Sint Maarten who may have been concerned about relatives receiving treatment in Colombia as reports of casualties and destruction continued emerging Monday.
Minister Connor expressed appreciation to SZV for what he described as its swift response and coordination in establishing contact with patients and their healthcare providers.
The minister also acknowledged the anxiety that a major natural disaster abroad can create for families whose relatives are receiving medical care outside Sint Maarten.
Connor extended his wishes for strength to the Colombian people and communities affected by the earthquake as rescue and recovery operations continue.
The Ministry of VSA said it will remain in close communication with SZV and the medical institutions in Colombia and will issue additional information should circumstances involving Sint Maarten patients change.
Rescue Operations Continue
The situation in Colombia remained fluid Monday as authorities attempted to reach damaged communities and establish the true scale of the disaster.
The earthquake struck a country with significant seismic exposure. Colombia sits in a geologically active region where tectonic plates interact, producing recurring earthquake hazards. Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management explains that interaction between the South American and Nazca plates is among the processes responsible for the country's seismic activity.
The Colombian Geological Service maintains continuous seismic monitoring across the country, including systems designed to rapidly determine the location, magnitude, depth and potential effects of significant earthquakes.
Monday's earthquake has now become a major national emergency, with the immediate priority focused on locating survivors, treating the injured and assessing buildings and critical infrastructure.
For Sint Maarten, however, the first urgent question has been answered: according to VSA and SZV, every Sint Maarten patient receiving medical treatment in Colombia who was checked following the earthquake has been accounted for and reported safe.
As Colombia continues confronting the aftermath of one of its most serious earthquakes in recent years, the Ministry of VSA says it will continue monitoring the situation closely through SZV and the Colombian medical institutions caring for Sint Maarten patients.
