Source: Global Market Report: After a strong earthquake struck western Colombia, search and rescue efforts have entered their second day. This strong earthquake caused a large number of people to be buried in ruins and caused serious damage to the Pacific coast and central Andes mountain areas of the country.
The Asokapitales Association of Capital Cities announced on Tuesday morning that the 7.4-magnitude earthquake has caused at least 181 deaths. As rescue personnel continue to search for survivors, the death toll is expected to rise further. The new president of the country is attempting to lead the post disaster recovery efforts, which has become the first major test of his leadership.
Colombian people are searching for missing persons through social media. The search website "Colombia Te Busca", which was launched during the strong earthquake in neighboring Venezuela in June this year, has registered over 3600 missing persons.
President de la Esperia had previously promised to release disaster reports every two to three hours, but so far has not been fulfilled, so information on casualties is mainly released by the Capital City Association and local authorities.
The earthquake has affected Colombia's coffee producing areas, increasing the risk of economic losses expanding. Due to market concerns about potential supply disruptions in the world's second-largest producer of Arabica coffee, Arabica coffee futures prices in New York have risen to a two-week high.
The Colombian Aviation Administration stated that Cali International Airport resumed operations on Monday evening.