PEREIRA — The death toll from a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake in western Colombia rose to at least 254 on Tuesday, according to separate reports from affected cities, as rescue crews searched collapsed buildings for survivors and authorities assessed widespread damage.
The earthquake struck early Monday in Colombia’s coffee-growing heartland, causing apartment blocks, homes, schools and health facilities to collapse or sustain severe damage. Pereira and Cali were among the worst-hit cities, with local reports putting deaths at 101 in Pereira and 95 in Cali.
Rescuers worked through the night using cranes and excavators and, in some locations, their hands to remove concrete and twisted metal. Teams periodically called for silence so they could listen for people trapped beneath the rubble.
More than 100 aftershocks had been recorded by Tuesday afternoon, according to the latest reports, complicating rescue operations and raising concerns about the stability of damaged structures.
The United Nations humanitarian office estimated that about 5,000 homes had been damaged, while dozens of buildings collapsed and hundreds of residences were destroyed. Thousands of people were left without homes and were awaiting safety assessments before returning to damaged neighborhoods.
Several areas near the epicenter in the Pacific-facing Choco region remained without electricity, water, communications and other basic services, making it harder for emergency teams to reach isolated communities. Roads were damaged and several airports were closed because of the earthquake’s impact on infrastructure.
In Cali, the city’s public health secretary, German Escobar, said the morgue was full as authorities continued recovering bodies. At a damaged hospital, some upper floors collapsed, while patients were treated outside, hospital director Irne Torres Castro told local television.
President Abelardo De La Espriella visited the affected region and announced a three-month economic relief measure for people in Risaralda, the department that includes Pereira. The United States said it had allocated $15.5 million for emergency shelter, food, protection and damage assessments, while the Inter-American Development Bank made $50 million available for reconstruction support if requested.
Officials have cautioned that communications remain disrupted in some of the hardest-hit areas and that the full scale of the destruction and the final death toll could take days to establish. Rescue operations were continuing as crews searched damaged and collapsed structures for survivors.
