Colombia: UN requests 14.8 million dollars to treat victims of the earthquake in Chocó

Published at: 18/09/2026 10:46 AM

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) issued an emergency appeal for 14.83 million dollars to activate a 12-month humanitarian response plan in the municipality of San José del Palmar, department of Chocó, one of the areas hardest hit by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook Colombia on August 10.

The multilateral agency warned that the earthquake aggravated the severe crisis facing the region due to armed conflict, poverty and forced displacement. The program designed by the agency plans to provide direct assistance to more than 370,000 people, with special priority given to the care of women of reproductive age, pregnant women and the restoration of services in nearly 400 affected health centers.

For its part, a preliminary assessment presented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) estimated the total cost of the damage at 14 million dollars, a figure that exceeds the initial estimate of the Colombian Government.

According to the consolidated balance sheet, the earthquake left 335 people dead, more than 4,500 injured and seriously affected road, educational, health and housing infrastructures across 16 departments of the country.

Mazo News Team