Colombia denies politics performed a task after Mexico mentioned its army rescuers have been refused entry.
Revealed On 13 Aug 2026
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has mentioned Colombia is refusing to permit a workforce of Mexican rescue consultants into the nation to assist seek for survivors of Monday’s devastating earthquake, as questions develop over how the brand new authorities is dealing with gives of worldwide help.
Sheinbaum mentioned on Thursday that she had initially been informed the army rescue workforce had travelled to Colombia, however was knowledgeable at a safety cupboard assembly the next day that this was not the case.
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“Colombia requested a certification. They’re licensed, however now they’re asking for an additional certification,” Sheinbaum informed reporters.
Mexico has continued sending different assist, together with meals and medical provides.
Colombia’s International Minister Omar Bula mentioned on Wednesday that the nation had accepted 58.5 tonnes of support from Mexico and {that a} flight carrying humanitarian help was arriving that day.
Colombia denies politics behind resolution on international rescuers
Scheinbaum’s feedback come as President Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative who took workplace simply days earlier than the earthquake, is going through accusations that he has blocked rescue groups from nations with left-wing leaders. His administration denies the allegation.
“We’ve got not excluded any nation by any means when it comes to the gives they’ve made to us,” Bula mentioned. “We work with nations with none ideological or political issues.”
David Santiago Tamayo, director of Colombia’s Nationwide Unit for Catastrophe Threat Administration, mentioned on Wednesday that the federal government was formalising help from rescue groups in the USA, El Salvador, Ecuador and Israel.
He mentioned international groups must be “internationally licensed and recognised by their respective nations”, and that Colombia would solely settle for these recognised by the Worldwide Search and Rescue Advisory Group, or INSARAG, the UN-backed community that units worldwide requirements for city search-and-rescue groups.
Sheinbaum, nevertheless, challenged Colombia’s clarification on Thursday, saying the Mexican workforce was already licensed and had been requested to supply one other certification, including that the army rescue brigade had beforehand deployed to 98 nations and was nonetheless “prepared to go away at any second”.
Hopes of discovering extra survivors fade
The dispute comes after the important 72-hour window for locating survivors alive has already handed, with hopes fading of discovering extra folks beneath the rubble left by Monday’s magnitude 7.4 earthquake.
A minimum of 273 folks have been killed and greater than 3,800 injured, based on authorities figures on Thursday. One other 377 folks have been nonetheless formally listed as lacking.
Past Mexico, a number of nations have provided help. A workforce from the Los Angeles County Hearth Division arrived on Thursday to assist with search operations and structural assessments, whereas one other US city search-and-rescue workforce from Fairfax County within the state of Virginia was additionally mobilised on the request of the Colombian authorities. Peru and Brazil have additionally provided help, whereas De la Espriella introduced on X that Colombia will obtain a $10m donation from the United Arab Emirates.
On Wednesday, the president introduced plans to declare an financial emergency and set up a reconstruction fund to channel Colombian and worldwide help in the direction of rebuilding hospitals, faculties, houses and infrastructure.
