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Cover Story - Spanish Version

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A Deadly Earthquake Rocks Southern Colombia

"Does anyone have any medicine?" asked Iliana Patricia Vega, 26. She began to cry. "Can I get some medicine?" Her 6-year-old daughter had a big cut on her forehead. All around them, people were running, looking for their own family members.

The Vegas had been standing on the second floor of a building in Armenia, Colombia, when a powerful earthquake hit. The building collapsed.

In southwest Colombia, a region famous for the rich coffee grown in its hills, people were afraid to go home after the earthquake for fear another one would hit. Thousands no longer had homes.

Officials said it was Colombia's worst earthquake. At least 940 people were known to be dead, and many more were believed to be trapped in the rubble.

Some desperate survivors began taking food and water from damaged stores. Colombian President Andres Pastrana asked the nation's military to stop the looting and help deliver supplies.

"The tragedy is so great," said Pastrana, "that no Colombian can imagine it."

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