USD 9.6 BILLION IN DAMAGE CAUSED

BOGOTA, AUGUST 18 /SRNA/ - Economic losses from the recent earthquake in Colombia have reached USD 9.58 billion, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said.

De la Espriella said that these are preliminary estimates.

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake caused extensive damage in the western part of the country, stretching from the Pacific port of Buenaventura, through the coffee-growing region, to major cities such as Cali and Pereira, Reuters reports.

This is the first major crisis faced by De la Espriella, who took office just days before the earthquake.