The earthquake that shook Colombia on Friday, January 19, 2024, in addition to serious material damage in several territories, left one person dead in the municipality of El Águila, in Valle del Cauca. An adult older than 63 years old when the earthquake occurred died in her home.
Apparently, the panic he felt due to the earthquake was what triggered his death.
The woman who died during the earthquake was identified as Marina Zapata Moreno, 63 years old. According to the information provided by the mayor of El Águila, Andrés Herrera, the cause of death would be a heart attack.
“Unfortunately, after the earthquake this morning, there was a death from a heart attack due to post-earthquake panic and damage to the infrastructure of the San Rafael hospital and other homes in our community. We ask for prudence and caution until we finish evaluating all the cases,” said the local president.
According to what is known so far, the woman was at home when the earthquake occurred. She barely felt the tremor, she ran out and quickly went down the stairs, at that moment she met her daughter who hugged her and, apparently, it was at that moment that she died.
The Government of Valle del Cauca also confirmed the death of the 63-year-old woman. The Secretary of Risk Management of that department, Francisco Tenorio, assured that although the causes of her death were yet to be corroborated, they were notified of the citizen’s death.
Likewise, the official pointed out that a special commission was sent to the El Águila municipality, taking into account that it was one of the territories most affected by the earthquake.
“From the Risk Management Secretariat we sent a team to El Águila, which has been one of the municipalities affected in some homes and especially in the local hospital there were some cracks in its structure and we are preparing to go to the site to verify these effects. ”said Tenorio, quoted by the newspaper El Tiempo.
The earthquake of January 19, 2024 in Colombia
At 6:26 am, according to the report of the Colombian Geological Service (SGC), an earthquake of magnitude 5.6 with a depth of 33 kilometers was recorded.
Although the epicenter of the earthquake was the municipality of Ansermanuevo, in Valle del Cauca, the earthquake was felt in several areas of the country, including Cali, Bogotá, Pereira and Armenia, among others.
After that event, according to the SGC, at least twelve aftershocks were recorded during the morning hours.
One of the municipalities most affected was El Águila, in Valle del Cauca, where the hospital and several homes suffered damage to their infrastructure.
Mayor Andrés Herrera shared on his social networks the state of the San Rafael health center after the movement. In the photos it is possible to see cracks of a significant size, as well as the parts that fell away from the walls of the structure.
Through videos and photos posted on social networks, citizens from different parts of the country reported the strong movement. That is the case of a clip captured by a security camera, where a house is seen swaying in the midst of the tremor.
In other images it is possible to see the state of the facades and roofs of some homes in Ansermanuevo, where the epicenter of the earthquake was reported. With Infobae