A student at Arizona Western College in Yuma is following this week's news of a powerful earthquake in Colombia closely.
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the South American country on Monday. As of Thursday afternoon, the death toll was more than 270 people, according to officials including Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella.
The president said almost 500 people were reported missing, according to The Associated Press. Civilian-run databases have that number at more than 4,100. More than 25,800 families have been impacted by the earthquake. The search for survivors continues.
Lina Hernandez is from Medellin, Colombia. She is studying fine arts at Arizona Western College.
Hernandez said her immediate family is safe but she has friends in Choco in the epicenter of the earthquake who lost communication for hours and whose homes have earthquake damage. She said she's watching the images coming from her home country.
"We are pretty sad," Hernandez told KAWC. "We are trying to do things to help people over there."
Hernandez said world aid agencies including the Red Cross and UNICEF are assisting people most in need on the ground in Colombia. She added that there have been aftershocks since Monday and that is keeping Colombians at home and abroad uneasy.
