Troops Restore Order After Colombia Quake

Troops took control of this provincial capital Saturday after a spurt of looting by survivors of the earthquake that killed at least 940 people in western Colombia last week.

Police and soldiers threw a tight cordon around the city center, restricting the flow of pedestrians, and at least 200 troops brandishing automatic assault rifles were bivouacked in the main marketplace, the scene of violent clashes Friday.

Despite the heavy security presence, about 100 people smashed into quake-damaged stores earlier Saturday, carrying off sacks of rice, beans and canned tuna as well as televisions and fans.

A squad of about 90 soldiers moved in to arrest the thieves, but unlike Friday, when angry mobs clashed with security forces in Armenia’s center, they did not fire warning shots or tear gas and made little effort to seize the stolen goods.

Monday’s magnitude-6.0 quake flattened hundreds of houses and buildings across five provinces in Colombia’s mountainous central coffee-growing region, leaving about 250,000 people homeless.

Thousands of homeless in Armenia boarded buses, pickup trucks and horse-drawn carriages Saturday in a scramble to leave the city. Many were frustrated with the government’s disorganized effort to restore order and deliver relief supplies to devastated areas.

Colombian rescuers continued sifting through dozens of disaster sites, looking for the hundreds of missing, but some foreign rescue teams went home, convinced that the chance of finding life beneath the ruins had run out. The last time a survivor was pulled from the rubble was Wednesday.

Passersby wore surgical masks and handkerchiefs to ward off the stench of trapped bodies decaying as well as feces and urine in the streets.

Doctors are watching the situation carefully, fearful of a health crisis. So far, there have been only small outbreaks of stomach and breathing problems.

A magnitude-4.3 aftershock rattled the area early Saturday, causing alarm but no reports of damage or injury. It was one of 46 strong aftershocks since Monday.