The Colombian Institute of Forensic Medicine (IML) reported receiving 304 bodies of earthquake victims. These bodies arrived from the departments of Chocó, Caldas, Risaralda, and Valle del Cauca, which were the hardest hit by the 7.4 magnitude tremors.
According to the agency's statement, among more than 300 identified victims are 22 minors.
The city of Cali, the capital of the Valle del Cauca region, became the city with the highest number of identified victims one week after the seismic event, accounting for 139 people. It is followed by Pereira, the capital of Risaralda, with 107 victims, as indicated in the Forensic Medicine report.
The bulletin also notes that 12 bodies have already been identified in Quibdó, the capital of Chocó; nine in Buenaventura; six in Buga; six in Roldanillo—all located in Valle del Cauca—as well as five bodies in Manizales, the capital of Caldas, among other settlements.
The body transfer process is carried out in coordination with the Attorney General's Office at the respective sites in each municipality. Specifically, it is reported that those who died in Cali are being transferred to the neighboring city of Palmira.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located in San José del Palmar (Chocó), on the border of Valle del Cauca and Risaralda, which explains why most of the deceased are from these two regions.
The latest report from the National Disaster Risk Management Unit counted 289 dead on Sunday, which is five fewer than on Saturday. Furthermore, 4,187 injured and 143 missing persons were registered, while 354 people were rescued from numerous collapsed or heavily damaged buildings.