Episcopal leaders are calling for prayers and offering support after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Aug. 10. At least 224 people are dead and more than 1,246 people are injured.
“We lift up our prayers for the communities and families affected by this earthquake,” the Bogotá-based Diocese of Colombia said in an Aug. 10 Facebook post. “May God grant them strength, protection and comfort, and help us remain united in solidarity and hope.”
Occuring at 7:34 a.m. Central, the earthquake‘s epicenter was in the Chocó Department on the Pacific coast, which is Colombia’s poorest region and home to its largest Afro-Colombian population. At least 3,000 people have been reported missing, and an estimated 5,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, according to Colombia President Abelardo De La Espriella, who was sworn in three days earlier. Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, and other cities have also reported fatalities and structural damage. To read more, click here
