Rescue teams in western Colombia are racing against time to find survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s coffee-growing region, killing at least 250 people and leaving thousands more without homes, electricity and basic services.
Emergency crews worked through the night and into Tuesday, using cranes, excavators, heavy machinery and their bare hands to clear enormous piles of rubble. Rescuers repeatedly called for silence at damaged sites so they could listen for signs of life beneath the debris.
Separate reports from affected cities placed the death toll at 254 people on Tuesday morning. Pereira, located in Colombia’s coffee-growing heartland, reported 101 deaths, while 95 people were reported killed in Cali, the country’s third-largest city.
The earthquake has been described as the most devastating to hit Colombia this century, causing widespread destruction across several communities. Apartment buildings, private homes, schools, health centres and other structures were damaged, with some completely collapsing while others were left dangerously cracked or leaning.
The situation has been particularly difficult in Indigenous communities in the forested Pacific-facing region of Choco, located close to the earthquake’s epicentre. Several communities remained without electricity and essential services, making it difficult for emergency teams to assess the full scale of the destruction and deliver immediate assistance.
The disaster came only days after newly inaugurated President Abelardo De La Espriella took office. The president travelled to affected areas and promised economic assistance for families whose homes and livelihoods had been destroyed.
The Colombian government is also facing significant economic challenges as it prepares to revise a budget worth more than $180 billion that was prepared by the previous administration. The new government had already announced immediate austerity measures after taking office.
The country’s agricultural sector has also suffered significant damage. The National Coffee Federation has been working with affected families to assess losses to coffee farms, rural infrastructure and other agricultural facilities.
Nightmare Scenes Across Affected Cities
Survivors have described terrifying moments when the earthquake struck without warning.
Rosa Gonzalez, who operates a guest house in Pereira, said the building began making alarming sounds as the earthquake hit. She rushed outside with her husband and their 10-month-old baby moments before the structure collapsed.
She later spoke to Reuters while holding her cat, which had been rescued from the damaged property during the night. Although eight people managed to escape, an elderly man became trapped on a terrace, leaving Gonzalez fearing that he could be among the victims.
Social media influencer Jose Gallego was arriving at Pereira airport when the earthquake struck. He was recording a live video when the violent shaking began, forcing him to crouch under a table as pieces of the ceiling fell around him.
Gallego said he saw injured people bleeding and screaming while desperately trying to contact relatives. He later walked through the city for around two hours and described the destruction as devastating.
More than 100 aftershocks had reportedly been recorded by Tuesday afternoon, keeping residents and rescue workers on edge. Many people chose to remain outdoors because they feared damaged buildings could collapse during additional tremors.
Thousands of people have been left homeless. In several areas, families have been forced to wait outside their homes while authorities assess whether the structures remain safe.
In Cali, Alberto Machado said his home was destroyed after he had dropped his son off at school. His wife, mother-in-law and two young children were forced to spend the night at a neighbour’s home.
A local sports centre prepared to accommodate around 60 people overnight, including elderly residents evacuated from a damaged nursing home.
Animal shelters have also been affected, with dog and cat rescue organisations appealing for food, medicine and volunteers.
Rescuers Receive Cheers After Saving Survivors
Despite the scale of the disaster, rescue teams have managed to save people trapped beneath the rubble.
In Cali, residents cooked food in the streets and salvaged belongings from damaged properties. Civilian volunteers joined professional rescuers and local authorities in searching through collapsed buildings.
At the destroyed Torres del Limonar apartment complex, crowds gathered as rescue teams searched the remains of the multi-storey buildings. Residents erupted in cheers when rescuers successfully pulled a woman alive from the rubble and placed her on a stretcher.
However, the situation remained extremely difficult. Cali’s public health secretary, German Escobar, said the city’s morgue had reached capacity as authorities continued bringing bodies from affected areas.
Cali authorities also introduced overnight curfews in some heavily damaged neighbourhoods to prevent looting and maintain public order.
Remote Communities Face Severe Shortages
The situation in Choco has raised additional concerns because several remote communities remain difficult to reach.
Residents in some areas said they had yet to receive meaningful government assistance. Andres Caicedo, a community leader in Sipi, told local media that residents were struggling to obtain internet access, medical supplies and basic necessities.
He said the community was already facing serious challenges because of violence involving armed groups and lacked adequate healthcare infrastructure even before the earthquake.
Emergency access has also been disrupted across the region. Several airports remained closed on Tuesday, while some communities continued to experience shortages of gas, water and electricity. Major roads were also blocked, making it harder for rescue teams and aid organisations to reach isolated populations.
The government has faced criticism over the lack of a clearly updated national death toll. Officials have reportedly avoided releasing separate figures while communications remain disrupted in some of the worst-hit areas.
Authorities have warned that the final number of casualties could take several days to determine because rescue operations are still underway and some remote communities remain cut off.
As emergency crews continue searching through collapsed buildings, families across western Colombia remain desperate for news about missing relatives. With aftershocks continuing and infrastructure badly damaged, rescue workers face a difficult race against time to locate survivors and provide assistance to thousands of people affected by one of the country’s most destructive earthquakes in decades.
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