BOGOTA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella on Wednesday signed a decree declaring a 30-day state of economic, social and ecological emergency in parts of the country hit by the Aug. 10 earthquake.
The decree, signed after a cabinet meeting in Bogota, covers 15 affected departments, including Valle del Cauca, Risaralda and Caldas, as the government seeks to respond to what it described as a grave public calamity.
De la Espriella said the emergency measures were aimed at not only rebuilding damaged homes, but also restoring businesses and essential public infrastructure, including schools and hospitals. Colombia was facing the "most complex" fiscal situation in its republican history, making extraordinary measures necessary, he said.
The president said his government would cut spending on some non-priority programs from the previous administration to meet current national needs, while ensuring that the most vulnerable people were not affected.
According to figures released by Colombia's National Unit for Disaster Risk Management as of Wednesday evening, the 7.4-magnitude earthquake in western Colombia had killed 319 people, injured 4,469 and left 260 missing. A total of 364 people had been rescued.
The agency said 476 municipalities across 15 departments had been affected, with some 272,830 people impacted by the disaster. ■
