Colombia quake: Frantic search for survivors as over 2,700 reported missing

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Emergency teams in the worst affected cities, including Cali and Pereira, have been working through the night and into Tuesday, listening for signs of life and trying to reach people trapped beneath concrete and debris during the magnitude 7.4 earthquake. The Choco region west of Cali and Pereira has also been impacted, but the extent of the damage is still not clear. Authorities have warned that the death toll from Monday’s quake could rise as search teams reach more affected areas in a big challenge for newly elected far-right President Abelardo de la Espriella. Dozens of people were killed in Cali, located 280km (175 miles) southwest of the capital, Bogota. On Monday President De la Espriella said 35 people were killed in the city. Dozens of buildings were left leaning precariously or destroyed outright, forcing residents into ‌the streets in the city of about 2.2 million people. Local authorities farther north in the Risaralda region, where Pereira is located, said the death toll included at least 40 people killed there. Authorities also confirmed nine people killed in the Choco region, two in the Caldas region and a 73-year-old in the Antioquia region. At least 87 people were initially reported injured, but de la Espriella later reported 700 injured in Valle del Cauca alone. More than 2,700 people had been reported missing on citizen-run websites by Monday night although that figure does not necessarily represent the number of people confirmed missing. About 1,600 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including the towers of a historic cathedral in the city of Manizales. Several of the top floors of one of Cali’s hospitals – some dedicated to paediatric care – collapsed upon themselves, leaving some patients trapped and forcing about 600 others to be tended to on a street strewn with rubble, hospital director Irne Torres Castro told Caracol television. De la Espriella, who assumed power on Friday, said rescuing people trapped under rubble was the government’s first priority. About 1,000 members of the security forces would be deployed to Cali by dawn, he said on Monday evening after reports of looting. Cali and Pereira implemented curfews on Monday night. “Our ‌intention is to cooperate in any way necessary. Here, there are no distinctions or ideological divisions when it comes to defending our people or showing solidarity,” the president told journalists. Search and rescue operations continued into Tuesday with soldiers, emergency workers, firefighters, volunteers and relatives digging through collapsed buildings. In Cali, volunteers formed human chains to remove concrete, bricks and other debris by hand. Rescuers repeatedly stopped to listen for signs of life from people trapped beneath the rubble. Two women and two children were rescued from a collapsed building, firefighters said, while other teams continued searching for survivors. In Pereira, rescue workers said they were in contact with a boy trapped beneath a bakery while cranes were being used to remove dangerous sections of damaged buildings. Authorities have also deployed engineers, rescue workers and search dogs to Choco, where the extent of the destruction remains unclear because the region is remote and difficult to access. De la Espriella said the government had mobilised the “entire military and police apparatus” for the response. The rescue effort faces particular challenges in the Choco region, more than 200km (125 miles) west of Cali and Pereira. The city of San Jose Del Palmar was the epicentre of the earthquake, the United States Geological Survey said. It is a community of 4,800 people about 400km (250 miles) west of Bogota. Much of Choco is reachable only by boat or plane, which may pose a problem for authorities in assessing the wider toll. Colombia’s Geological Service said 21 aftershocks had been recorded by late Monday as authorities warned that further tremors were possible. Camila Gomez, the deputy director of programmes for Colombia and Venezuela at the International Rescue Committee, warned that the powerful earthquake hit a region already in deep crisis. “This is the largest earthquake that Colombia has experienced in two decades,” she told Al Jazeera. Gomez noted the damage in the areas hit was still being assessed. “From what we have seen already, there is a clear need, of course, for health services and education services because some of the education facilities – at least, I think, 50 of them – have been affected by this earthquake.” Aside from extensive search and rescue efforts, Colombia declared a national state of emergency. De la Espriella visited Quibdo, the capital of the Choco region, and Cali and promised rental subsidies for people whose homes have been damaged. Authorities declared nighttime curfews in Cali, Armenia and Manizales. Cali also deployed additional police and military personnel amid concerns about looting. Hospitals in five cities were placed on red alert while authorities suspended operations at airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura to allow for structural inspections. Civilians have played a major role in the immediate response, bringing food and supplies and helping firefighters search for survivors. Carmen Yasmin Garcia, 43, a Cali resident volunteering with rescue teams, said on Monday afternoon that her group had freed seven people from a collapsed building but four others and a dog remained trapped. “A moment ago, there was scratching, but now we can’t hear anything. We still have faith ⁠that the dog is alive and we can get these people out,” Garcia said. “We need ⁠people with sticks and spades. The more people lending a hand the better.” Authorities have also postponed the Petronio Alvarez Music Festival in Cali, an annual celebration of Pacific music that was due to start on Wednesday, as well as professional football matches. The US announced $15.5m in emergency assistance for shelters, food and other earthquake relief. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was closely monitoring the situation and stood ready to support Colombia. The European Union said it mobilised the Copernicus satellite service to support rescue operations. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, whose countries were among the largest providers of aid to Venezuela after its twin earthquakes in June, said they were ready to assist Colombia. “From El Salvador, we are in communication and ready to provide immediate support with our rescue teams, medical personnel, paramedics, supplies or any other assistance that our Colombian brothers and sisters deem necessary,” Bukele said. 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