Search crews in western Colombia are racing against time after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed at least 224 people and left hundreds more injured. Centered near San José del Palmar in Chocó province, the tremor ripped through the heart of the country's coffee belt, leaving severe destruction across major cities like Cali, Pereira, and Manizales.
Apartment complexes collapsed, medical centers sustained heavy damage, and historic structures crumbled, forcing thousands of panicked residents into the streets. Emergency workers are using heavy machinery, search dogs, and specialized gear around the clock to locate people buried beneath the concrete rubble.
Cali proved to be among the hardest-hit metropolitan hubs, with dozens confirmed dead after residential towers caved in and upper floors of a primary hospital collapsed, leaving staff with no choice but to treat wounded patients outdoors on the pavement. In nearby Pereira, entire neighborhood blocks were leveled, and structural damage at the local airport ground operations to a halt.
In response to the scale of the disaster, President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national emergency, deploying over 1,000 troops to aid in relief work, secure streets, and enforce nighttime curfews after sporadic reports of looting. With hundreds still unaccounted for and strong aftershocks shaking the area, international aid teams are arriving to assist local crews before the window for finding survivors closes.