Bogota, Aug 19: The death toll from the recent magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia has risen to 312, with 4,611 people injured and 290 missing, according to the local authorities.

The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management reported that the quake had affected 470 municipalities in 15 departments, adding that 277 buildings had collapsed, while close to 30,000 homes were destroyed and over 134,000 others damaged.

National and international search-and-rescue teams continued combing through the rubble to locate the missing people, with 358 people reportedly rescued so far.

Colombia’s Foreign Ministry said more than 220 tonnes of humanitarian aid had arrived in the country and 144 international specialists had joined emergency response efforts, Xinhua news agency reported.

Many affected residents remained in temporary shelters and tents in parks in the hardest-hit areas of Valle del Cauca, Risaralda and Choco.

Last week, India sent the first tranche of 20 metric tonnes of relief supplies to Colombia to support recovery efforts following the devastating earthquake that had rocked the country.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar had expressed India’s solidarity with the people of Colombia during these difficult times.

“Dispatched the first tranche of the 20 MT relief supplies to Colombia to support ongoing post-earthquake recovery efforts. The assistance includes medicines and medical equipment, temporary shelter and hygiene support, and other essential items needed in the aftermath of the disaster. India stands in solidarity with the people of Colombia during these difficult times,” EAM Jaishankar posted on X.

The assistance underscores India’s role as a first responder during global natural disasters. India sent the assistance after an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck Colombia on August 10, killing hundreds of people and injuring nearly four thousand with many missing.

The earthquake had struck Western Colombia at 7:34 am (local time), according to the Colombian Geological Service. The epicentre of the earthquake was near San Jose del Palmar and occurred at a depth of 96 kilometres.

As many as 44,936 families and 102,105 people in 15 departments and 426 municipalities have been impacted by the earthquake in Colombia, the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said. It further stated that 10,677 homes had been destroyed while 65,841 others have been damaged by the earthquake.

Washington, August 19: The Baloch American Congress president, Tara Chand, has written to US President Donald Trump seeking urgent intervention over recent Pakistani military airstrikes in Balochistan’s Surab district that reportedly killed more than 30 civilians, including women and children.

In his letter addressed to Trump, Chand wrote, “We respectfully urge your administration to investigate these serious allegations and determine whether any US-origin aircraft, weapons, drones, technology, components, or other military equipment were used in the reported operation.”

On behalf of the Baloch community, he also urged the American administration to investigate the reported airstrikes and civilian casualties in Surab, determine whether US-origin military equipment or technology was involved, and conduct appropriate end-use and compliance reviews of relevant US defence equipment supplied to Pakistan.

Chand further called on the American authorities to support an independent investigation and accountability for any violations of US law, arms-transfer conditions, or international humanitarian law as well as review relevant US military assistance or transfers if credible evidence establishes that such equipment was misused against Baloch civilians.

“Mr. President, a Baloch child’s life is as precious as the life of any child anywhere in the world. We are not asking the United States to prejudge the evidence—we are asking your Administration to establish the truth, protect civilians, and ensure accountability. We would welcome the opportunity to provide available documentation and meet with appropriate US officials regarding this urgent matter,” the letter mentioned.

The incident took place in the early hours of August 12 when the Pakistani Air Force reportedly carried out indiscriminate bombardment in residential areas in the Gidar area of Surab, killing civilians and causing significant damage to properties.

Last week, several Baloch activists and human rights bodies strongly rejected the statement issued by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)- the official media and public relations wing for Pakistan’s Armed Forces, following the Pakistani airstrikes in Surab, describing it as “false and fabricated”.

The criticism came after the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) attempted to downplay the Surab attack by attributing it to the premature detonation of a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) allegedly linked to a militant group.

Slamming Pakistan’s official remarks, a leading Baloch human rights defender, Mir Yar Baloch, took to X and posted: “DGISPR, which serves as the official spokesperson for the Pakistani military, has long faced severe criticism over its misleading and fabricated statements and official positions regarding controversial military operations.”

“The Surab massacre was a planned act of collective punishment, and local residents of Surab stand as witnesses to the fact that the Pakistan Air Force deliberately targeted a civilian population under the cover of darkness, severely affecting an entire village and leaving its residents to bear the devastating consequences,” he added.

Human rights body Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) alleged that the DGISPR resorted to “extreme exaggeration” and made a failed attempt to construct a “so-called narrative” that contradicted the facts, apparently to conceal the ongoing “war crimes” in Balochistan by Pakistani forces. The rights body noted that the reality on the ground can no longer be concealed by “distorting the facts.”

Washington, Aug 19: The Pentagon is evaluating whether to reduce the US military presence in the Persian Gulf after the Iran war, as extensive damage to American bases forces officials to reconsider how troops and equipment are positioned across the Middle East, US media reported.

The assessment is at an early stage and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not ordered a formal review, according to a report by The Washington Post, which cited eight officials and other people familiar with the matter.

A senior Pentagon official described the exercise as “prudent planning”. It could eventually shape decisions on whether Washington should rebuild bases damaged during months of Iranian missile and drone attacks.

“Decisions are going to have to be made on some of this stuff,” the official said.

The Pentagon’s policy office is leading the evaluation. The Joint Staff and US Central Command are also studying the issue.

Central Command normally stations about 40,000 troops at nearly 20 sites stretching about 1,500 miles from Jordan to Oman. The largest and most permanent American bases in the Middle East are concentrated in the Persian Gulf.

Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet. Kuwait houses major Army and Air Force assets.

Since early this year, the Pentagon has sent additional warships, fighter aircraft, air-defence systems and other equipment to the region. US forces have carried out more than 13,000 strikes against Iran, according to the report.

Adm. Bradley Cooper, the head of Central Command, supports discussions about potentially moving American troops west from the Gulf, a US official said. A Central Command spokesperson declined to comment.

Before the war began in February, Central Command evacuated personnel from several bases because they were considered vulnerable to Iranian missiles and drones. Some of those movements could remain in place after the conflict.

“Iran thinks we are in the traditional places,” a person familiar with the adjustments said. “And we are not.”

Six American service members were killed in a March strike on Port Shuaiba in Kuwait. More than 200 US facilities have been damaged or destroyed during the conflict, the newspaper reported earlier.

The US military has also used more than 1,000 advanced air-defence interceptors, reducing its stockpiles of Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence missiles.

“The war really did highlight the vulnerability … of U.S. forces in the region,” said Michael Ratney, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Ratney said moving personnel and equipment westwards to Jordan, Israel or Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast could reduce some risks. But he said the added distance was not a “perfect solution to this problem.”

Iran has demonstrated that it can hit targets farther away. An Iranian attack on Jordan last month killed four US service members.

Allison Minor, a former National Security Council director for Arabian Peninsula affairs, said Gulf countries could retain arms sales, intelligence sharing and other parts of their US security partnerships while hosting fewer American troops.

“But you need to be discussing all of those comprehensively and not just the question of the sheer number of troops,” she said.

The Pentagon estimates that the war will cost about $37.5 billion by the end of September. That figure does not include rebuilding damaged bases. The American Enterprise Institute estimated in April that repairs could cost $5 billion.