Colombia earthquake: International teams standing by

As earthquake rescue efforts across western Colombia continued on Tuesday, UN agencies said that they stood ready to help “with everything we've got” if and when the request came from the authorities for international assistance.Official data indicated that 1,495 people have been injured and at least 126 died in Monday’s 7.4 magnitude quake, which flattened homes and buildings in the west of the country and caused landslides.“Nearly 5,000 homes have been damaged and 387 have been destroyed; 61 buildings have collapsed and more than 550 educational institutions, 24 health facilities and more than 350 community centres have [been] affected,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. “Those are official Government figures, we know they are being updated as more information comes in.”“There has not been any official request for international assistance,” he continued. “Should that happen, the entire UN system and, of course, humanitarians in particular stand ready to support with everything we've got."The UN system already has teams assessing the situation in the affected areas and is preparing, together with the Government, an initial emergency response ...