UN resident coordinator: earthquake left 1.2 million people in need; rescue teams saved hundreds

Maria Jose Torres, the United Nations resident coordinator for Colombia, told reporters the humanitarian situation after a major earthquake has rapidly evolved and the UN has launched an updated emergency plan that “includes 1,200,000 people in need.”

Torres said the quake affected multiple departments, left around 331 reported deaths and disrupted homes, hospitals and nearly 4,000 educational facilities. “Search and rescue teams were able to rescue 364 people,” she said, and UN and partner teams have reached people with emergency shelter, health care, water and sanitation.

The resident coordinator emphasized that some areas remain hard to reach and that the UN has hyper‑prioritized roughly 127,000 people “most affected” for immediate assistance. She described coordination with Colombia’s national disaster authorities and multiple UN agencies — including IOM, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, UN Women, UNFPA, WHO/PAHO and OCHA — as a central element of the response.