Colombia quake rescue enters final hours of critical survival window

Rescue teams in Colombia are working against the clock to find survivors trapped under collapsed buildings, with less than a day remaining in the critical 72-hour window that offers the best chance of pulling people out alive. The 7.4-magnitude earthquake, which struck on Monday morning, has killed close to 250 people, injured nearly 3,800, and destroyed more than 9,500 homes across the country's western valleys and coffee-growing region.

In Cali, Colombia's third-largest city, at least 95 people died and nearly 1,000 were injured after 56 buildings collapsed. In Pereira, about 55 kilometers from the epicenter, officials have confirmed at least 79 deaths, with 300 people still reported missing. The quake has affected more than 30,000 families, according to official estimates.

Cali's mayor, Alejandro Eder, said rescue workers need silence and order to detect signs of life beneath the rubble. "We are in a race against time to save lives," he told reporters, adding that efforts would continue beyond the window but that the coming hours were crucial.

In Pereira, residents are struggling to cope with the aftermath. Indira Meneses, a 49-year-old nurse, said the front of her home collapsed, trapping her family inside. Neighbors helped them escape, but five of her neighbors were not as fortunate. "We're waiting for local officials to help us rebuild," she said, "but so far, no one has come."

The disaster is the first major test for President Abelardo De La Espriella, who took office just days before the quake. He has visited the affected regions and pledged aid to those who lost homes and businesses. Several mayors have imposed nightly curfews to prevent looting.

Tiziano Breda, a senior analyst at conflict monitoring group ACLED, said the earthquake will test the new president, who campaigned on cutting public spending, including defunding the state's risk management unit. That unit is now at the forefront of the emergency response.

Colombia's foreign minister, Omar Bula, rejected reports that the government had turned down international aid, saying shipments from Peru, Mexico, and El Salvador were being coordinated. A Mexican search-and-rescue team arrived directly from Venezuela, which suffered its own devastating quakes in late June.

In Cali, rescue efforts are focused on seven buildings that may still hold survivors. At the Torres del Limonar complex, residents formed bucket brigades with soldiers and city workers, passing rubble down from the debris. Fire officials said operations have become more organized since police restricted volunteers, reducing noise and vibrations that could interfere with sensors detecting movement.

Outside a morgue in Palmira, about 30 kilometers from Cali, relatives waited under the shade of trees as officials called out the names of identified bodies. Santiago Lloreda, 31, said the quake killed his mother and his 13-month-old daughter, Salma, who will need to be identified through DNA samples. "My daughter was a dream made reality," he said. "My mother was the pillar of our family."

Another man, who traveled from Miami to recover his sister's body, praised the doctors and neighbors helping families. His niece is awaiting surgery for fractures and a collapsed lung. "She's alive," he said. "We know she's going to get better."

The coffee sector, a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of families, is also feeling the impact. Ports in Buenaventura have paused operations while inspectors assess landslide damage to key roads, though exports continue through Caribbean ports, according to the head of Colombia's coffee federation.