Search and rescue operations continued across western Colombia early Tuesday after a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake killed at least 111 people, damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and left thousands of people unaccounted for.
The earthquake struck Monday, shaking major cities including Cali, Quibdó and Pereira, as well as dozens of smaller communities across the region.
Authorities reported that around 1,600 buildings were damaged or collapsed.
Soldiers, emergency crews and residents worked through piles of debris searching for survivors, with volunteers forming human chains to remove large pieces of concrete and other wreckage by hand.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said Monday afternoon that at least 111 deaths had been confirmed as authorities continued assessing the scale of the disaster.
The number of people reported missing also climbed rapidly. By Monday night, more than 2,700 people had been listed as missing, with families turning to citizen-run websites and social media to share photographs and information about loved ones they had been unable to contact.
Among them was 60-year-old farmer Miguel Ángel Zamora, who lived in a rural community near El Cairo, not far from the earthquake’s epicenter in San José del Palmar.
His niece, Dana Carolina Zamora, posted a photograph of her uncle holding his dog as she appealed for information about his whereabouts.
Local authorities said approximately 80% of El Cairo, a town of around 7,000 residents, had been damaged by the earthquake.
Zamora said her family was particularly concerned because her uncle lived in a traditional house constructed from sticks and mud, making it especially vulnerable to a powerful earthquake.
“We are afraid,” she said. “We hope that is not the case, that he is all right and that it is only a communication failure. But we haven’t heard anything from him.”
Rescue teams are continuing to search damaged communities as families await news of missing relatives and authorities work to determine the full extent of the destruction.
With thousands still unaccounted for and many people believed trapped beneath collapsed structures, officials fear the death toll could rise as rescue operations continue.
