Colombia rescue efforts continue as earthquake death toll climbs

BOGOTA: Rescue teams in western Colombia continued searching through collapsed buildings and damaged homes on Tuesday, as authorities warned that the death toll from the country’s strongest earthquake in decades could increase further.

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s coffee-growing region early Monday, killing at least 164 people, according to authorities. The tremor caused widespread destruction in cities including Cali and Pereira, reducing buildings to rubble and damaging historic structures. In Manizales, part of a historic cathedral was also badly damaged.

Police, soldiers, emergency workers and volunteers worked through the night, using heavy machinery and their hands to search for people trapped beneath the debris.

Cali, a city of around 2.2 million people, was among the worst affected, with at least 85 deaths reported. Several buildings were destroyed or left structurally unstable, forcing residents to remain outdoors.

Parts of a hospital in Cali, including floors housing paediatric units, collapsed during the earthquake. Hospital director Irne Torres Castro said some patients were trapped, while around 600 others had to receive treatment on a debris-covered street.

Rescue volunteers also continued searching a collapsed building where several people remained trapped. Carmen Yasmin Garcia, a 43-year-old volunteer, said her team had rescued seven people but was still trying to reach four others and a dog.

Pereira, the capital of Risaralda state, reported 66 deaths. Several residential areas were devastated, with buildings reduced to concrete and twisted metal. Footage verified by Reuters showed severe shaking at the city’s airport, where parts of the ceiling collapsed as people sought shelter.

Another 13 deaths were reported in Choco, the rural province closest to the earthquake’s epicentre.

Security forces deployed

President Abelardo De La Espriella, who took office only days ago, announced the deployment of 1,000 security personnel to Cali following reports of looting. Curfews were imposed in both Cali and Pereira on Monday night. The disaster has drawn comparisons with the 1999 earthquake that devastated Colombia’s coffee-growing region and killed more than 1,000 people.

The latest quake also comes less than two months after a major earthquake in neighbouring Venezuela that killed more than 6,300 people.