Colombia earthquake death toll reaches at least 254 as rescue efforts continue

Pereira, Colombia. Rescue crews continued searching through rubble in western Colombia on Tuesday after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed at least 254 people and damaged or destroyed buildings across the country’s coffee-growing region.

The earthquake, described as the most devastating to strike Colombia this century, hit early on Monday, leaving apartment blocks, homes, schools and health centres cracked, leaning or flattened.

Casualties and rescue operations

Separate reports from affected cities put the death toll at 254 on Tuesday morning. Pereira, in the coffee-growing region, reported 101 deaths, while Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, reported 95.

Rescuers worked through Monday night and into Tuesday using cranes, excavators and their hands to clear debris. Teams formed human chains and passed buckets of rubble while calling for quiet to listen for survivors trapped beneath collapsed structures.

Impact on affected communities

Indigenous communities in the forested Pacific-facing region of Choco, near the earthquake’s epicentre, remained without electricity and basic services, complicating rescue efforts.

The National Coffee Federation was working with families to assess damage to farms and rural infrastructure, its chief, German Bahamon, said on social media.

Government response

The earthquake came days after the inauguration of President Abelardo De La Espriella, who travelled to affected areas and promised economic support for people who lost their homes.

The government, which announced immediate austerity measures after taking office, is preparing to revise a budget of more than $180 billion drafted by its leftist predecessors.

Survivor account

Rosa Gonzalez said she escaped from the guest house she ran in Pereira with her husband and their 10-month-old baby.

“The structure started creaking and just as we ran outside the building collapsed,” Gonzalez told Reuters while holding her cat, which was rescued during the night.

She said eight people escaped alive, but an elderly man remained trapped on a terrace and she feared he could be among those killed.