New Delhi: At least 111 people have died after a powerful earthquake struck western Colombia, with volunteers and professional rescuers continuing to search collapsed buildings for survivors.
The earthquake has plunged the country into its first major crisis under newly sworn-in President Abelardo de la Espriella, who declared a national state of emergency and ordered a coordinated rescue and relief operation.
In Cali, western Colombia’s largest city, residents joined firefighters and rescuers in a desperate search for people trapped beneath the rubble. Volunteers used picks, basic tools, buckets and their bare hands to clear collapsed masonry, according to reports.
Andres Felipe Mejia was among those who joined a makeshift rescue team. He said the volunteers were determined to bring trapped people out alive.
According to Mejia, rescuers asked anyone trapped beneath the rubble to whistle if they could hear them. A whistle was heard from inside a collapsed multi-storey building.
Rescuers then managed to pull a man and a baby from the debris, while the man’s wife remained trapped inside, Mejia said.
Volunteers and rescue workers formed human chains to remove bricks and masonry from damaged structures. They repeatedly stopped their work to listen for signs of life beneath the debris.
Mejia said large numbers of people had arrived with food, supplies and other assistance. Many were helping firefighters and residents affected by the earthquake.
The earthquake damaged at least 1,500 buildings across several parts of Colombia. Reports described chaotic scenes in cities across the country’s picturesque coffee region and Pacific areas as residents rushed into the streets.
Hospitals in five Colombian cities were placed on red alert on Monday as authorities prepared to deal with casualties. A nighttime curfew was also declared in Cali, according to local authorities.
At least six local airports suspended operations, Colombia’s civil aeronautics agency said.
The earthquake was felt across Colombia, including in Bogotá. Large crowds rushed out of buildings and gathered in the streets, with some residents fleeing their homes in their pyjamas.
President de la Espriella addressed the nation around 1pm local time on Monday and declared a national state of emergency. He said the government had deployed its available capabilities to protect lives, assist affected communities and deliver aid wherever necessary.
He said rescuing people trapped under rubble was the government’s first priority.
De la Espriella travelled to Quibdo, the capital of coastal Chocó province, where he promised rent subsidies for people who had lost their homes. He later travelled to Cali to oversee the response in western Colombia’s largest city.
The president gave the national death toll as 111. He later provided figures for Valle del Cauca province, where Cali is located, saying 35 people had died there and 700 had been injured.
Some local media outlets reported a national death toll of 132. However, the origin of that figure was unclear.
The earthquake struck just three days after de la Espriella was sworn in as president, immediately placing his new administration under pressure as rescue operations continued.
The disaster also came only weeks after devastating twin earthquakes struck neighbouring Venezuela in June, keeping memories of the regional destruction fresh.
For Colombia, the immediate focus remained on finding survivors. Professional rescuers and ordinary residents continued working side by side, clearing rubble by hand, forming human chains and listening for any sound from people trapped beneath collapsed buildings.