The powerful earthquake that struck western Colombia on Aug. 10 also put to the test those who look after the most vulnerable, such as those working at the Panamericana Clinic in the town of Apartadó where in the urgency to evacuate, a doctor, not thinking of himself first, grabbed up two newborns to carry them to safety outside the building.
In images that have gone viral, Dr. Germán Somoyar is seen holding the infants outside the medical center alongside colleagues and the families of other patients who had to evacuate the building.
Speaking with Noticias Telemundo, Somoyar recounted that he was with his colleagues when everything began to shake and as the intensity increased, "everyone started evacuating the clinic immediately."
He said that at that moment, he thought he had to go get the babies — the ones the nurses or parents might not be able to reach in their cribs. "In my line of work, the children always have 100% absolute priority," Somoyar stated.
The doctor added that "there were two mothers in their rooms who were paralyzed with fear and weren't evacuating. I had to quickly explain the situation, calm them down, and tell them we're going to evacuate."
"After they proceeded to leave, I headed to the room where the newborns are, the neonatal unit" and picked up the babies, carrying them down from the sixth floor to the street, ensuring their safety.
So far, the deaths of 234 people have been confirmed as a result of the 7.4-magnitude earthquake. The hardest-hit cities are Cali, with 95 fatalities, and Pereira, with 72.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
