Colombia's Golden Time Slips Away After Powerful Quake... Morgues Overwhelmed

[Anchor]

The death toll from the strong earthquake in Colombia has surpassed 270, while unofficial reports put the number of missing at over 4,000.

Reporter Bae Seong-jae has the details.

[Reporter]

People wearing helmets form a line to clear the rubble of collapsed buildings.

These are volunteers searching for potential survivors trapped inside buildings destroyed by the earthquake that struck Colombia on the 10th.

[Paula Campos / Volunteer : We are forming a human chain to clear the debris as quickly as possible.]

Long lines have formed in front of morgues.

They are bereaved families who lost loved ones in the earthquake.

[Morgue Official : Bodies will be handed over in sequential order.]

With a sudden influx of bodies, proper guidance is nonexistent and the release of remains is delayed, leaving the families in anguish.

[Alicia Arias / Bereaved Family Member : The refrigerators are broken and the bodies are decomposing. Emergency measures must be put in place.]

The situation is just as bleak for the survivors.

Children are left with nowhere to go in front of a school building with its roof completely collapsed.

[German Membache Pena / School Teacher : Look at the extent of the damage. The auditorium has collapsed.]

Some head out to evacuate amid the risk of further collapses, while others try desperately to clear debris with their bare hands at houses reduced to mere skeletons, but relief efforts have yet to reach them.

[Osmel Soto / Earthquake Victim : No one has come to visit us. Not even a single person came by to say, "We are doing this and that."]

Anxiety and grief continue to mount among the displaced residents.

[Evert Jonathan Morales / Earthquake Victim : We have nowhere to stay. We lost everything. Absolutely everything.]

As the damage snowballs, the Colombian government has declared a state of economic emergency.

On the fourth day since the earthquake, authorities report that the death toll stands at over 270, with injuries nearing 3,800.

However, with the unofficially estimated number of missing people reaching over 4,000—eight times the official government figure—the scale of casualties is expected to grow further.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.