Colombian Aruba resident recalls panic during Colombia earthquake

BOGOTÁ – Lucy Bohorquez, a Colombian resident of Aruba who is currently vacationing in Bogotá, experienced firsthand the powerful earthquake that shook Colombia on Monday.

Bohorquez told Noticiacla that the tremor was strongly felt in Bogotá and described the experience as frightening.

“For me, it was truly horrible. It felt as though you were going to fall. I became dizzy, and while I was going down the stairs, I felt myself swaying from side to side. I felt as if I could not continue going down,” she said.

According to Bohorquez, although the shaking was strong in Bogotá, she later understood that it had been even more intense in other parts of Colombia, including Cali, Pereira and Chocó.

In the confusion following the earthquake, Bohorquez came across several videos and messages circulating online. One video immediately caught her attention when she heard someone speaking Papiamento.

“I heard the person speaking Papiamento and I said, ‘This person is from Aruba.’ The person said they were staying at a hotel where several people from Aruba were also staying and had apparently traveled to Colombia for surgery,” Bohorquez told Noticiacla.

She stressed, however, that amid the panic and the stream of calls and messages, she was unable to confirm in which city the hotel was located or the identities of the people involved.

“Everyone was calling or messaging someone else. In all the confusion I couldn't keep track of everything, but I recognized the connection with Aruba because of the Papiamento,” she said.

For Bohorquez, one of the most disturbing aspects of the experience was temporarily losing control of her balance as the building moved around her.

“You feel as if you're going to fall and you can't control your body. For me, that was horrible,” she said.

Bohorquez's account offers a firsthand glimpse of how the earthquake was experienced in Bogotá, while attention in Aruba is also turning to residents of the island who may currently be in Colombia.