Rescue efforts are intensifying in western Colombia as search teams work against a critical time threshold to find survivors of a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Monday. The tremor flattened buildings, buckled roads, and crushed vehicles, leaving at least 265 people dead and nearly 500 missing, according to President Abelardo de la Espriella.
Civilian databases, however, indicate the number of missing individuals could be over 4,100, with more than 25,800 families impacted by the disaster. The hardest-hit cities include Cali, Pereira, Manizales, and Quibdo, where teams continue to sift through rubble. Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours crucial for locating survivors, especially if those trapped lack access to food and water.
Alejandro Eder, the mayor of Cali, reported that rescue teams have found signs of people alive beneath the debris. "Every minute is vital," he stated Wednesday afternoon, emphasizing the critical nature of the next 20 hours for potential rescues.
In Pereira, rescuers successfully extracted Daniela Largo from the rubble late Tuesday after a 12-hour operation that involved carefully freeing her pinned arm and administering IV fluids. The successful rescue was met with cheers from onlookers. In contrast, another individual was pulled lifeless from a building in the same city.
Thousands of displaced Colombians are seeking shelter in converted sports arenas, schools, and other public buildings across the coffee-growing region, one of the areas most affected by the quake. Many families are sleeping in parks, fearing aftershocks or the collapse of damaged homes, while others are left with no homes to return to.
Colombia's geological service has recorded 130 aftershocks since the initial earthquake. Seismologist Rodrigo León Loya noted that while the probability of another earthquake of similar magnitude in the immediate area is low, seismic activity cannot be ruled out given the country's numerous active fault lines.
Tons of aid from regional partners began arriving on Wednesday. The U.S. State Department confirmed that disaster response teams arrived Monday and has offered over $15 million in assistance. Mexico dispatched two military aircraft carrying 19.5 tons of food and 19 security force members, with plans for additional aid. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele offered to send two planes with 100 tons of aid.
The official response is complicated by deep poverty and decades of civil warfare in many areas, particularly in the remote, jungled northwest, where cell service is lost and many communities are only accessible by river. Giovanni Rizzo, Colombia director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, stated that the earthquake exacerbates an already severe humanitarian situation, necessitating increased support.
Many aid organizations were already present in the region, supporting a 2016 peace accord and responding to ongoing violence. These groups have been able to quickly pivot to disaster relief. María José Torres, the UN resident coordinator in Colombia, noted that the existing ground presence has exponentially increased the ability to provide immediate assistance.
Pope Leo XIV expressed solidarity with those affected by the earthquake and offered prayers for the victims.