Colombia Quake Death Toll Soars
Rescuers are digging through shattered buildings across western Colombia after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake killed at least 224 people, the country’s most powerful quake in decades.
The earthquake tore through Colombia’s coffee-growing heartland, striking cities including Cali, Pereira and Manizales and reducing apartment blocks and other structures to rubble. Hospitals were damaged, a cathedral spire collapsed and emergency crews worked through the night as the casualty count climbed sharply. Authorities said Cali had suffered the highest number of confirmed deaths, while Pereira and surrounding communities also sustained severe destruction.
The race to find survivors is now entering its most critical phase. Rescue crews, soldiers, police and volunteers are using excavators and hand tools to reach people trapped beneath unstable debris, with signs that some may still be alive. The disaster has become an immediate test for Colombia’s newly installed government as it confronts mass casualties, damaged infrastructure, displaced families and security concerns in several major cities.
