CALI, Colombia — Rescue teams across western Colombia pushed through another exhausting night Thursday, racing to find people still trapped beneath collapsed buildings as the crucial first 72 hours following the country’s devastating earthquake came to an end.
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake, described as Colombia’s strongest this century, has left at least 273 people dead and more than 3,800 injured, according to the country’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management. Nearly 400 people remain officially listed as missing, while civilian databases suggest the true number could exceed 4,100.
Officials say nearly 26,000 families have been affected by the disaster, which caused widespread destruction across several communities.
Authorities said locating those still unaccounted for remains the government’s highest priority as emergency crews continue searching damaged neighborhoods.
Rescuers Race Against Time
In heavily affected cities including Cali and Pereira, firefighters, volunteers and specialized rescue teams worked through a third consecutive night. Crews used cranes, trained search dogs and, in some locations, their bare hands to carefully remove debris.
At regular intervals, rescuers stopped machinery and called for silence, hoping to hear voices, tapping or other indications that someone remained alive beneath the rubble.
The 72-hour point is considered especially significant in disaster response because the chances of survival generally decline the longer victims remain trapped without access to water, medical treatment or fresh air.
Still, families refused to abandon hope.
Cali resident Martha Perez said two of her relatives were believed to remain beneath the debris. She said her family intended to remain hopeful until rescuers had exhausted every possibility.
Volunteer rescue worker Fernando Loaiza said the determination extended throughout Cali, where residents continued hoping that additional survivors would emerge from the wreckage.
Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said Wednesday that search-and-rescue operations were entering their “final phase,” although crews continued working at numerous damaged sites.
The government has declared an economic emergency, while three days of national mourning were announced in recognition of those killed.
Officials have pledged to mobilize the resources necessary to help affected communities recover and rebuild.
Thousands Left Without Homes
The destruction has created an enormous humanitarian challenge.
Official figures indicate that more than 12,500 homes have been destroyed, forcing thousands of residents from their communities. Authorities have also reported that at least 172 buildings completely collapsed.
Many survivors have spent several nights sleeping outdoors. Some have no homes to return to, while others are afraid to enter buildings because of structural damage and continuing aftershocks.
In Pereira, rescuers concentrated on the remains of a bakery where they believed a street vendor trapped since Monday might still be alive.
Specialized equipment designed to detect vibrations reportedly picked up possible indications of movement beneath the debris. Relatives gathered nearby as rescue teams attempted to establish whether the signals were coming from the missing man.
His 16-year-old niece, Sara Loaiza, described an agonizing mixture of fear and hope as the family waited for news.
Relatives said rescuers asked the trapped person to respond by knocking a specific number of times. When apparent responses were detected, people gathered near the site reacted with applause and renewed optimism.
Volunteer rescuers periodically ordered complete silence around the site so they could listen for additional signs of life.
Several people have already been recovered alive from the area, while other victims were found dead.
Communities Face the Difficult Task of Starting Over
Beyond the immediate search for survivors, Colombians are confronting the enormous scale of what has been lost.
In Roldanillo, Yuliana Mendez searched through the remains of the beauty-products store where she worked. Surrounded by damaged merchandise and debris, she described the experience as having to rebuild life from the beginning.
Similar scenes unfolded in Pereira’s Providencia neighborhood, where residents carried furniture, clothing and personal belongings from buildings considered unsafe.
Lawyer Ana Paulina Crosthwaite was among those forced to leave her damaged apartment building. She described residents as being in a state of shock, particularly families now facing the difficult task of explaining to their children that they may have to abandon their homes and begin again elsewhere.
Despite the destruction, a widespread relief effort has emerged.
Residents and volunteers have delivered food, drinking water and emergency supplies to affected neighborhoods. Colombians have also lined up at blood donation centers as hospitals continue treating thousands of injured people.
For many volunteers, the response has become an expression of national solidarity at one of Colombia’s most difficult moments.
As rescue operations move deeper into their most challenging stage, families of the missing continue waiting beside piles of rubble, hoping that even after three days, another voice, movement or knock from beneath the debris will lead rescuers to someone still alive.
