Rescue teams in Colombia are racing against time to find survivors trapped beneath the rubble after a devastating magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the country on Monday.
According to the latest provisional figures, at least 265 people have died and nearly 3,500 have been injured, while 496 people remain missing, President Abelardo de la Esperanza said.
The earthquake caused extensive damage in the western part of the country, particularly in Cali and the region known as the “coffee region.” Buildings collapsed, roads were damaged and vehicles were trapped beneath the rubble.
Around 11,000 buildings have been completely or partially destroyed, while more than 25,800 families have been affected by the disaster.
Announcing the updated death toll on Wednesday evening during a press conference in Bogotá, President de la Esperanza stressed that the main priority remains finding people who may still be trapped under the rubble.
“Our efforts are focused on the missing,” he said.
Officially, 496 people remain missing. However, databases maintained by civil society organizations put the number at more than 4,100.
Rescue teams continue searching through the ruins of the worst-hit cities, including Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdó. As the hours pass, the window of opportunity to find survivors is narrowing.
Humanitarian organizations consider the first 48 to 72 hours after an earthquake to be the most critical period for locating and rescuing survivors. However, this period can be extended if trapped people have access to water and food.
Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said Wednesday afternoon that rescue teams were still detecting signs of life beneath the rubble.
“The next 20 hours are the most critical for finding and rescuing people alive,” he stressed.
“Every minute is vital,” Eder added, describing the race against time facing rescue crews.
Amid the devastation, some rescue operations have brought renewed hope. In Pereira, late Tuesday evening, rescue teams managed to pull Daniela Largo alive from the rubble after an extremely difficult 12-hour operation.
Rescuers created a narrow passage through the debris to free her trapped hand. A doctor also managed to administer intravenous fluids to stabilize her while the operation continued.
When she was finally pulled from the rubble, the young woman, wrapped in a blue blanket, was taken to an ambulance. Firefighters embraced one another, while residents watching the rescue erupted in applause.
But shortly afterward, in the same city, rescue teams recovered the body of a man from another collapsed building.
In the coffee-growing region, one of the hardest-hit areas, authorities have converted sports facilities, schools and other public buildings into temporary shelters for thousands of displaced people.
In Pereira and Cali, many families are sleeping in parks. Some fear aftershocks or the collapse of damaged homes, while others no longer have a home to return to.
The Colombian Geological Service has recorded 130 aftershocks since the main earthquake.
“We have the most important things: a roof over our heads, food, water and, in my case, medical care,” said 48-year-old Edith Penagos, who lives with her teenage son in one of the white tents set up in a park in Pereira.
Seismologist and geosciences professor at the University of the Andes, Rodrigo Leon Loya, said the probability of another earthquake of similar magnitude striking the same area is low, but he did not rule out further seismic activity.
“Let us remember that Colombia is full of active faults,” he stressed.
“The question is not whether it can happen again. The question is when an earthquake of similar magnitude will strike another of Colombia’s seismic sources,” he added.
Poverty and armed conflict complicate relief efforts
Responding to the disaster is even more difficult in areas such as Chocó, where the earthquake’s epicenter is located. Deep poverty and decades of armed conflict, which have caused repeated waves of forced displacement, are significantly complicating the disaster response.
The full extent of the destruction in the country’s forested northwest remains largely unknown, as telecommunications have been disrupted and many affected communities are isolated and accessible only by waterways.
“This earthquake is adding to an already serious humanitarian situation, and there is a need for greater support for the humanitarian response,” said Giovanni Rizzo, director of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Colombia.
Many humanitarian organizations were already present in Chocó, supporting implementation of the 2016 peace agreement between the government and left-wing rebels, while also dealing with the consequences of continued violence involving other armed groups.
Their presence on the ground has allowed organizations to immediately begin providing assistance to earthquake victims.
“We have a presence on the ground. So our ability to be there, close to people, I think has increased exponentially,” said UN coordinator in Colombia Maria José Torres.
International aid arrives
Tons of humanitarian aid from countries in the region and international organizations began arriving in Colombia on Wednesday.
The U.S. State Department said disaster-response teams began arriving in the country on Monday and that the United States has provided more than $15 million in assistance.
Mexico sent two military aircraft to Pereira carrying 19.5 tons of non-perishable food and 19 members of the Mexican security forces.
The Mexican government plans to send another 39 tons of aid in the coming days. Meanwhile, 255 additional military specialists and 20 rescue dogs are on standby to be deployed to Colombia if necessary.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has also offered to send two aircraft carrying a total of 100 tons of humanitarian aid.
Pope Leo XIV prays for victims
On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV thanked everyone contributing to the rescue and recovery efforts and said he was praying for those who died, the injured and everyone affected by the disaster.
“I want to express my solidarity with my Colombian brothers and sisters who have suffered the consequences of the recent earthquake,” the Pope said.
