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Death toll rises to 11 in Colombia quake, aftershocks reported
Bogota (AFP) May 25, 2008 The Red Cross said on Sunday the death toll from a powerful earthquake in central Colombia has risen to 11, as aftershocks shook the region. Walter Cote, director of the country's aid organization, told reporters that 54 people were seriously injured as a result of Saturday's 5.5 quake, which also badly damaged about 400 homes. Among the dead were five people killed on the road between Bogota and the city of Villavicencio, capital of the Meta department. Three of the five were members of the same family -- a father, mother and son -- whose car was struck by falling rocks. The road knocked out by the quake is an important connection that links the center of the country with the eastern region and is heavily used by tourists. The earthquake struck at 2:20 pm local (1920 GMT) on Saturday with the epicenter in El Calvario in the department of Meta. A total of 4,181 were injured in the departments of Cundinamarca, Boyaca, Meta and Casanare, according to the Red Cross. Since Saturday's quake, the state seismological service registered numerous aftershocks, with the strongest at 4.1 on the open-ended Ricther scale at 4:39 am local (0939 GMT) with the epicenter 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Bogota. The earthquake, which shook this Andean capital for several seconds, was the strongest temblor to jolt the capital in a decade. Bogota Mayor Samuel Moreno said on Saturday the capital city of seven million people suffered only minor damage and he considered the emergency over, although police and firefighters remained on alert. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Chinese leader says quake death toll may top 80,000
Yingxiu, China (AFP) May 24, 2008China warned Saturday that the death toll from its worst earthquake in a generation could climb past 80,000, as visiting UN chief Ban Ki-moon pledged the world's support. |
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