60 tons of South Florida aid for earthquake victims loaded onto Avianca flight bound for Cali, Colombia

A cargo plane filled with donations from across South Florida is heading to Colombia to help those impacted by a recent earthquake.

Avianca Airlines, in partnership with Global Empowerment Mission and local governments, loaded the plane at Miami International Airport on Friday afternoon. This marks the fourth shipment of supplies the airline has sent since the earthquake struck.

Approximately 60 tons of supplies—ranging from health necessities to electricity and battery equipment—are being loaded onto an Avianca A330 freighter destined for Cali, Colombia. Much of the aid was collected in the city of Doral.

"Today we know Colombia needs us," said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

Since the disaster, Global Empowerment Mission has been flooded with donations. Francine de la Rosa, a representative with the organization, said the effort is a testament to community support.

"This is a community effort. None of this would be possible without the support of local, state and national government," de la Rosa said. "And our efforts aren't stopping. They're now duplicating."

The organization is continuing its relief work in Colombia while simultaneously maintaining aid for those affected by an earthquake in Venezuela just a few weeks ago.

Levine Cava noted that volunteers are on the ground in Colombia to assist with distribution and search and rescue efforts.

"We have an army of people. They're still searching for loved ones in the rubble. There's still hope for finding people alive," Cava said.

While there are no additional cargo flights currently scheduled, officials say Avianca intends to utilize its commercial flights to continue transporting supplies to the region.