Rescue teams sifted through heaps of broken concrete in the western region of Colombia on Tuesday, in a frantic race to locate survivors following a devastating earthquake that claimed over 250 lives, as estimated by local authorities.
Families anxiously waited near the rubble, hoping for any signs of life to emerge.
The 7.4-magnitude earthquake, the strongest to hit Colombia in decades, struck the heart of the country’s coffee-growing area early Monday, leaving a trail of destruction with buildings, schools, and health facilities either cracked, tilted, or completely flattened.
In the most severely impacted cities, rescue personnel toiled tirelessly through the night utilizing cranes, excavators, and even their bare hands to navigate through twisted metal and debris, as they desperately searched for any remaining survivors.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara emphasized the immediate focus on saving lives, ensuring the prompt arrival of rescue teams, and facilitating the delivery of medical supplies and field hospitals, as reported by Blu Radio.
According to the United Nations humanitarian office OCHA, as of Monday night, official numbers indicated 126 fatalities and 1,495 injuries. However, local assessments on Tuesday suggested a death toll of around 254, indicating an ongoing disaster as teams accessed affected areas and communication slowly resumed.
Nearly 5,000 homes sustained damage, with numerous structures collapsing and hundreds of residences being obliterated, as reported by OCHA.
In Cali, residents congregated on the streets after sections of buildings gave way. Families cooked outdoors, salvaged belongings, and braced themselves for another day away from their homes. An incident at a local hospital saw several top floors, including those dedicated to pediatric care, collapse, leaving some patients trapped and 600 others receiving care on a street cluttered with debris, according to the hospital’s director, Irne Torres Castro.
In Pereira, one of the hardest-hit cities, entire segments of residential neighborhoods lay in ruins, with residents and volunteers forming human chains to assist in rescue efforts, while others listened intently for any sounds of distress from beneath the rubble.
Fernanda Gaviria, 33, expressed disbelief at the sudden turn of events, noting the loss of acquaintances in the disaster. She recounted spending the night outdoors in a park after her own apartment sustained significant damage.
The earthquake also disrupted critical infrastructure, leading civil aviation authorities to close six airports due to damage, and reports emerged of numerous roads being impacted.
As essential services like electricity, water, healthcare, and phone connectivity remained disrupted, especially in regions like Choco near the epicenter, the delivery of aid and rescue operations faced significant challenges.
Emergency response efforts were activated with the coordination of command centers, as volunteers, humanitarian agencies, and relief workers rushed to provide shelter supplies, clean water, hygiene kits, food, and medical assistance.
International aid began arriving, with the United States allocating $15.5 million for emergency relief efforts, and the Inter-American Development Bank making $50 million immediately available for reconstruction assistance upon government request.
Given the limited communication in severely affected areas, authorities cautioned that fully assessing the extent of the damage and establishing a final death toll could take days.