Colombia earthquake death toll has climbed to 254 after a powerful 7.4 magnitude tremor ripped through the country’s western coffee growing region early Monday. Rescue teams continue working around the clock in Pereira and Cali, pulling people from collapsed buildings while the full scale of the disaster remains unclear.
In Pereira, deep in Colombia’s coffee heartland, 101 people have lost their lives. Cali, the country’s third largest city, has reported 95 deaths. Many more are still missing under piles of concrete and twisted metal. Nearly 100 aftershocks have shaken the area since the main quake, keeping survivors on edge and forcing families to sleep outdoors.
Rescuers are using cranes, excavators and their bare hands to dig through the rubble. Crowds gathered outside the destroyed Torres del Limonar apartment complex in Cali cheered when workers pulled a woman out alive and carried her away on a stretcher. Other stories are far more heartbreaking. Local health officials say the city morgue is already full and more bodies are still being brought in from the streets.
Rosa Gonzalez managed to escape her guest house in Pereira with her husband and 10 month old baby just seconds before the building collapsed. She later learned that only eight people out of more than twenty made it out. Social media influencer Jose Gallego was live streaming at Pereira airport when the ground started shaking violently. Ceiling pieces fell around him as people screamed and ran for safety. He later walked across the city for two hours and described the scenes as a living nightmare.
Thousands of families are now homeless. Apartment blocks lean at dangerous angles or lie completely flattened. Schools and health centers have cracked walls. In the forested Choco region near the epicenter, many Indigenous communities still have no power, water or phone service, making rescue efforts even harder. Six airports remain closed and dozens of roads are blocked.
New President Abelardo De La Espriella has visited the worst hit areas and promised economic help for those who lost everything. The National Coffee Federation is checking damage to farms and rural roads. The United States has offered 15.5 million dollars in emergency aid while the Inter American Development Bank stands ready with 50 million dollars for reconstruction. UN teams are also preparing food and shelter supplies.
Officials warn that the final number of dead and injured could still rise in the coming days as communication improves and more remote areas are reached.
