The Guatemalan government activates a consular emergency number after the earthquake in Colombia

Guatemala activated a consular emergency number after the 7.4 earthquake in Colombia. (Illustrative Image Infobae) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minex) of Guatemala activated a consular emergency number following the 7.4 earthquake in Colombia. According to consular information, there are records of 600 Guatemalans residing or visiting as tourists in Colombian territory. Through a message posted on their social media, the Guatemalan foreign ministry announced that nationals who need to contact their families or require assistance can do so by phone or email with authorities of the Guatemalan Embassy in Colombia. Phone number: +57 311 2228161Email: embcolombia@minex.gob.gt At the same time, Minex reported that the Guatemalan Embassy in that country has maintained contact with some nationals who have called the emergency number; likewise, they have been contacted via email, and they have stated they are well. Minex reported that there are records of 600 Guatemalans residing or visiting Colombia. (Foreign Ministry) "Monitoring is also ongoing to understand the situation of other Guatemalans with whom communication has not yet been established, as in some places services are suspended, making contact difficult. We are awaiting official figures," they detailed. They also recommended that the Guatemalan community in Colombia stay alert to authorities' instructions and follow news from official sources. Following a message from Guatemala's president, Bernardo Arévalo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its solidarity with the people and government of Colombia. They acknowledged that the incident recorded in the Chocó department has caused human losses and significant material damage in various regions of the country. "Guatemala expresses its condolences to the families of the victims and accompanies the Colombian people in this emergency, while reaffirming its willingness to provide the support deemed necessary," stated the Guatemalan government through its foreign ministry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its solidarity and condolences to the people and government of Colombia for the human losses and material damages. (Foreign Ministry) For his part, the Guatemalan president stated: "We are following with great concern and sorrow the situation caused by the earthquake this morning in the Republic of Colombia. We send to President Abelardo de la Espriella and the Colombian people, on behalf of ourselves and the people of Guatemala, all our solidarity." Likewise, the Guatemalan government offered logistical aid through the National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (Conred), which has the National Search and Rescue Group in Collapsed Structures (USAR-GUA) for technical assistance missions abroad. This group is made up of trained personnel from various first response institutions, including Municipal Firefighters, Volunteers and Municipal Departments, the Guatemalan Red Cross, and the Army's Humanitarian Response Unit (UHR). At the same time, it has specialists dedicated to locating victims trapped under the rubble, employing both technical search methods (with inspection cameras, motion sensors, and acoustic equipment) and canine search (using trained K9 teams to detect living persons).