Quake-Hit Colombians Hunker Down

Rumble killed 11 and wounded 54; 5,000 face damaged buildings
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted May 26, 2008 5:00 AM CDT
Quake-Hit Colombians Hunker Down
Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe, right, greets residents of Quetame, Colombia, which was struck by an earthquake, Sunday, May 25, 2008.   (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

After Saturday’s 5.6-magnitude quake which sparked landslides, hundreds of Colombians gathered in temporary shelters yesterday, reluctant to return home for fear of further shake-ups, Reuters reports. Colombia’s Red Cross reported 11 deaths and 54 injuries, with some 5,000 facing damaged homes and other buildings. President Alvaro Uribe visited the hard-hit area.

“People are still really terrified about a second or third one coming,” said one resident of worst-hit Quetame. “We're trying to put up a tent for 20 people." (More Colombia stories.)

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