Recommended
Mexico has prepared a contingent of 255 military personnel specialized in search and rescue, in addition to tons of medicine, food, and equipment to be deployed to Colombia as soon as it receives a formal request for help from that country's government, following the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that occurred on Monday, which left hundreds dead and injured.
Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, Secretary of National Defense, explained during the presidential press conference that the Army has activated the so-called 'Cali Grouping', which "would be a grouping very similar to the one that supported Venezuela".
The contingent, the official explained, would be led by a general and composed of 255 military personnel, including search and rescue specialists, canine teams, and health and medical personnel.
The operation also includes the shipment of four tons of medicine and 8.4 tons of rescue tools and equipment, in addition to satellite phones, radios, electric generators, and tents.
The head of Defense specified that Mexico has 8,798 food boxes and 13,890 food baskets ready for shipment, in addition to medical aid.
The plan from the Secretariat of National Defense (Defense) provides for transporting the personnel and part of the material in two Boeing aircraft, while the rest of the humanitarian aid would travel in a Hercules C-130 aircraft and a Spartan from the Mexican Air Force.
The planned destination is the Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport, which serves the Colombian city of Cali.
However, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum clarified that the deployment still depends on an official request from the Colombian authorities.
"We are waiting for the formal request from the Government of Colombia, we are ready for the moment they tell us to be able to go help," the president stated.
The preparation of the contingent comes after Sheinbaum instructed the Mexican Armed Forces to ready personnel and resources to support Colombia, as part of the humanitarian assistance policy that Mexico has deployed in the face of emergencies in other Latin American countries.
The Mexican government has resorted to specialized military teams on other occasions to provide international aid in the face of disasters and emergencies, through search, rescue, medical attention, and supply distribution contingents.
Trevilla indicated that the 'Cali Grouping' would have similar characteristics to the contingent previously deployed to provide humanitarian assistance in Venezuela and stated that all personnel and supplies are prepared to depart once Colombia formalizes the request for support.
The earthquake in Colombia, in which at least 240 people have died so far, was felt at 07:34 local time (12:34 GMT), had its epicenter in the municipality of San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, at a depth of 103 kilometers, and caused damage in a large part of the center and west of the country.
Pereira, Cali, Quibdó, Manizales, and Armenia are the main cities that remain on red alert due to the magnitude of the damage, and in total, there are at least 165 collapsed buildings.
[Publicidad]