Baby rescued from rubble in Colombia after devastating earthquake kills at least 181
Rescuers pulled an infant alive from concrete debris in Colombia following a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake that has left at least 181 dead and thousands injured.
Rescuers and civilian volunteers have continued a desperate race against time in Colombia following a powerful earthquake that struck the nation's coffee-growing heartland on Monday. The disaster has tested Colombia’s new President Abelardo de la Espriella and his government as it scrambles to respond to the natural disaster and civil society as it pushes to provide aid to the vulnerable communities most affected by the quake.
By Tuesday, de la Espriella said the 7.4 magnitude earthquake had killed at least 181 people and left 2,595 more injured in the west of the country. He said at least 195 remained missing, but civilian-run databases put that number closer to 4,000.
Media additions
In Cali, a city of around 2.2 million residents, at least 85 people were killed. Numerous buildings were either destroyed or left dangerously tilted, sending residents out onto the streets.
Teams continued to pick through the rubble overnight in the hardest-hit cities of Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo, as time ticked away for victims to be found — and rescued — alive. Footage posted on social media shows a young baby being pulled alive from the rubble of a destroyed building in Colombia after a 7.-magnitude earthquake struck the country Monday. The video, posted by Brian Osorio Zuluaga on Monday night, shows a group of people combing through the rubble of a building, asking a survivor trapped underneath if he is alone. "I'm with a baby," the man can be heard saying in a muffled voice. As they race to remove pieces of concrete with their bare hands, the muffled cries of a child are heard. Another video shows a man holding the crying infant, with his arms covered in blood and the lower half of his body still trapped in rubble. The five men in the video slowly remove the baby then shout for a paramedic before erupting in a euphoric cheer. The last video posted by Zuluaga shows the workers continuing to help free the man who had been holding the baby.
"Today I understood, more than ever, that no one is really prepared to live through a situation like the one we are experiencing today," Zuluaga wrote on the post accompanying the videos.
Brian Osorio Zuluaga
Carmen Yasmin Garcia, 43, a Cali resident who joined the rescue effort, said on Monday afternoon that her team had managed to pull seven people from a collapsed building. Four more people and a dog were still trapped.
Dana Carolina Zamora shared a photo of her missing 60-year-old uncle, Miguel Ángel Zamora, holding his dog. The farmer lived in a rural part of El Cairo, near the quake's epicenter in San Jose Del Palmar. Authorities said around 80 percent of El Cairo, which has a population of about 7,000, was damaged. Zamora said she was particularly concerned because her uncle lived in a traditional home built from sticks and mud that could not withstand the powerful tremors.
“This earthquake compounds an already severe humanitarian situation, and there is a need for increased support for the humanitarian response,” said Giovanni Rizzo, Colombia director for the Norwegian Refugee Council. A 2016 peace accord between rebels and the government along with an ongoing armed conflict may allow aid organizations to distribute food and other emergency materials more quickly, said María José Torres, the U.N. Resident coordinator in Colombia.
International Aid and Government Response
The U.S. Has offered over $15 million in aid and Mexico’s president said she is prepared to send hundreds of search and health workers, tons of health supplies and other equipment. On Tuesday afternoon, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said his country would send two planes loaded with 100 tons of aid in the coming days.
- Magnitude: 7.4
- Casualties: At least 181 people had died and 2,595 were injured. Civilian-run databases estimate nearly 4,000 people are still unaccounted for.
- Structure Damage:
- International Support: Over $15 million offered by the U.S.; relief personnel and supplies promised by Mexico and El Salvador.
Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours crucial for retrieving survivors, though that threshold can be extended if they have access to food and water.
