Colombia's strongest earthquake on record kills at least 181 as rescuers dig for survivors
Rescuers and volunteers in western Colombia worked through a second day Tuesday, digging through crumbled concrete and twisted metal in a desperate search for survivors after the country's strongest earthquake on record killed at least 181 people.
The 7.4-magnitude temblor struck shortly after 7:30 a.m. Monday, rattling cities across the region and sending panicked residents into the streets. President Abelardo de la Espriella said 1,595 people were injured and 195 remained missing, a sharp drop from the thousands unaccounted for in the immediate aftermath as more families made contact with authorities.
Officials said more than 1,100 homes were destroyed and another 8,300 were damaged. In hard-hit neighborhoods, rescue crews and local volunteers used bare hands, picks and basic tools to clear rubble, stopping every few minutes to listen for voices or whistles beneath the debris.
Pereira, one of the worst-hit cities, lost electricity Monday evening, turning the rescue effort into a nighttime struggle. Residents moved through unlit streets with flashlights as volunteer teams searched the ruined shell of a six-story commercial building where two girls were believed to be trapped.
"It's so sad to see the whole city like this, knowing that there may still be people alive under there," said Juana Marin, 25, who joined dozens of volunteers clearing rubble by hand.
"We're without power. This seems honestly like a zombie city," said Juan David Gaitan, a Pereira resident.
Video from Pereira's airport showed ceiling panels falling as passengers screamed and scrambled for cover, then ran through the rubble in panic.
In Cali, volunteers formed human chains to remove bricks and masonry from collapsed buildings. Andres Felipe Mejia described a moment when a rescuer called out for anyone trapped to whistle.
"Someone whistled back," Mejia said near a pancaked building. "They pulled out a man and a baby, but the wife is still in there."
De la Espriella, who had taken office only three days earlier, declared a state of emergency and said he had mobilized "the entire military and police apparatus" for rescue and recovery. Five cities placed hospitals on red alert, and authorities imposed an overnight curfew in Cali.
Colombia sits in a seismically active zone where the Nazca and South American tectonic plates converge. Earthquakes are frequent, but Monday's tremor was the most powerful recorded in the country, according to officials. The epicenter was in San Jose Del Palmar, a rural area in western Colombia, and damage was reported across the region.
Among the missing was Miguel Ángel Zamora, a 60-year-old farmer who lived in a rural area of El Cairo, near the epicenter. His niece, Dana Carolina Zamora, posted a photo of him holding his small dog, hoping someone would recognize him.
"We are afraid. We hope that is not the case, that he is all right and that it is only a communication failure. But we haven't heard anything from him," she said.
Nelson Moreno, a volunteer rescue worker, described the initial chaos. "It felt like the end of the world — cars and motorcycles driving the wrong way, everyone searching for their loved ones."
International support began to take shape as the scale of the disaster became clear. The Vatican's secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, said Pope Leo XIV was "deeply saddened" by the earthquake and was praying for the dead and for the recovery of those affected. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was closely monitoring the response and stood ready to support the people of Colombia, and the U.S. announced $15.5 million in emergency relief.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU had activated its Copernicus satellite service to support rescue operations. Israel, Mexico, Ecuador and France also offered assistance. In the U.S., South Florida organizations were among humanitarian groups preparing to send aid, and Fabio Andrade, a Weston city commissioner and Colombian American, said the immediate priority was rescue and recovery.
"There's a lot of damage, and we are waiting for information as to what the needs are. The first is rescue and recovery," Andrade told CBS News Miami.
The full extent of the damage remained unclear Tuesday, with crews still working through areas that had not been reached. Officials said the death toll could rise as teams pushed into more isolated communities.