Colombia's president asks Trump to suspend tariffs after deadly earthquake
Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella has asked U.S. President Donald Trump to temporarily suspend tariffs on Colombian goods as the country works to recover from a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake that has killed at least 289 people.
De la Espriella, who took office earlier this month, was sworn in just days before the earthquake struck. Trump backed him during Colombia's closely contested presidential election, which was decided in a June 21 runoff. Since taking office, de la Espriella has highlighted his relationship with the U.S. president.
In a post Saturday night, de la Espriella said he spoke with Trump and thanked him for U.S. assistance following the disaster. He said he asked Trump to consider temporarily lifting the tariffs affecting Colombian products to provide relief to businesses struggling with the earthquake's economic impact.
The Trump administration had not immediately responded to the request. The United States has provided about $26.5 million in earthquake assistance, including food, shelter and medical supplies.
The earthquake struck western Colombia Monday morning, causing severe damage in cities including Pereira, Cali and Quibdó. Areas along the Pacific coast were particularly hard hit, and the Colombian government declared the disaster a national emergency.
Officials have reported 143 people missing, although independent civilian databases have listed significantly higher numbers. The earthquake's epicenter was in Choco, one of Colombia's poorest regions.
The disaster has injured 3,937 people, destroyed 14,705 homes and damaged another 81,536, according to government figures.
In Cali, the country's third-largest city, rescue crews continued searching for more than 70 people reported missing. Although more than 120 hours had passed since the earthquake, officials said they were continuing efforts to locate survivors trapped beneath the rubble.
“Miracles do happen,” Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said from the city's unified command post. “We are working where we know there are still victims; we are working in the hope of rescuing people alive.”
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