Colombia Earthquake Rescue Intensifies as Death Toll Tops 160
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Colombia has killed at least 164 people. Rescue teams are searching for survivors amid collapsed buildings in Pereira, Cali, and nearby areas.
Rescue operations across western Colombia entered their second day on Tuesday, with emergency crews sifting through the wreckage of collapsed buildings and homes. The confirmed death toll from the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the country's coffee-growing region on Monday has reached at least 164, and officials expect the number to climb.
The quake toppled multi-story structures in cities like Pereira and Cali, and damaged a historic cathedral tower in Manizales. In Cali, a city of roughly 2.2 million people, at least 85 deaths have been reported. Many buildings are leaning dangerously or have been destroyed, pushing residents onto the streets.
One of Cali's hospitals suffered a partial collapse, with several upper floors—including areas dedicated to pediatric care—giving way. The hospital's director said some patients were trapped, while around 600 others were being treated on a rubble-strewn street outside. Volunteers have joined official rescue teams, using excavators and their bare hands to search for survivors.
In Pereira, the capital of the hard-hit Risaralda state, authorities confirmed 66 deaths. The city saw entire residential blocks reduced to concrete and twisted steel. Video verified from the scene showed the airport swaying violently as ceiling sections fell. Another 13 people died in Choco, the rural province nearest the epicenter.
President Abelardo De La Espriella, who took office only days ago, reported 35 deaths in Cali alone and said 188 people are missing. He announced that 1,000 security forces would be deployed to the city by dawn following reports of looting. Curfews were imposed in both Cali and Pereira on Monday night.
"Our intention is to cooperate in any way necessary," the president told journalists. "Here, there are no distinctions or ideological divisions when it comes to defending our people or showing solidarity."
The disaster has drawn comparisons to a deadly 1999 earthquake that struck the same region, killing more than 1,000 people, and to catastrophic quakes that killed over 6,300 in neighboring Venezuela in June.