Colombia searches for over 3,000 missing after a powerful earthquake kills more than 100

PEREIRA, Colombia — Crews painstakingly searched through rubble Tuesday in the hopes of finding survivors trapped under debris after a powerful earthquake left thousands missing in dozens of cities and towns in western Colombia.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said at least 181 people died in the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Monday. He said around 2,595 more were injured and at least 195 remained missing. Civilian-run databases suggest the number of missing could be as high as 3,800.

De la Espriella also said 1,136 homes were destroyed and yet more damaged.

Authorities said the deaths were concentrated in cities including Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo, but local leaders and families worried about casualties and damage in rural areas, from where very little information has emerged.

Soldiers, rescue personnel and families picked through the rubble on Tuesday, passing large pieces of concrete by hand along lines of volunteers.

Standing near the remains of his brother's collapsed apartment building in Pereira, Jairo Vargas said he made the 220-kilometer (135-mile) drive from Medellin, hoping to find him alive.

"I'm absolutely certain he's here. Absolutely certain," Vargas said, adding that his brother's car was still parked outside. But he fears his sibling did not survive.

"The debris surrounding my brother is soft," he said, as heavy machinery rumbled through the debris. "It's possible that it's protecting him, but we can't hear any noises anymore. I don't know. I have little hope."

Colombia's new president faces his first serious challenge

The earthquake presents the first major test for first-time officeholder de la Espriella, who entered office just days before the natural disaster. The leader, who split the country in recent elections, now seeks to unite Colombia in its disaster response.

That challenge was particularly notable in Choco, the region surrounding the quake's epicenter. It is one of Colombia's poorest and most neglected regions, often beset by warring armed groups. Much of Choco is accessible only by boat, through the jungle or by airplane.

Sterling Palacios, a religious and environmental leader in rural parts of the region, said Choco's capital was devastated along with smaller communities dotting the Atrato River, the region's most important throughway.

Homes there have been reduced to rubble and aftershocks continued to rumble, terrifying residents who slept in the streets overnight.

"There are towns where people have lost everything, where people have died, where homes have been destroyed," he said. "We don't have a full panorama of the damage, but we know it's been massive."

De la Espriella traveled to Quibdo in Choco on Monday night, where he announced he was mobilizing "the entire military and police apparatus," as well as deploying engineers, rescue workers and search dogs.

"Choco will never again be the 'land of the forgotten,'" he said.

Palacios said the government's response has so far been "concentrated in the capital," and that authorities flew the wounded from Quibdo to hospitals in the city of Medellín.

The biggest challenge, he said, remains towns in rural areas only reachable by boat — journeys that can take hours or days. That response is also complicated by a toxic slate of armed groups warring for control of the region who, during the COVID-19 pandemic, blocked health care workers from traveling to remote areas.

He said it could take locals and officials weeks to get a full scope of the devastation there.

"It's a risk and it's very difficult to predict" what could happen, he said.

Desperate residents seek news of their loved ones

Families posted information about missing loved ones on citizen-run websites.

Dana Carolina Zamora posted an image of her missing 60-year-old uncle, Miguel Ángel Zamora, cradling his dog. The farmer was living in a rural area of El Cairo, not far from the quake's epicenter in San Jose Del Palmar.

Local authorities said 80% of El Cairo, a town of about 7,000 people, was damaged. Zamora said her uncle lived in a traditional house of sticks and mud.

"We are afraid. 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," Zamora said.

The earthquake left many people unnerved after back-to-back quakes devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 6,300 people.

Mónica Sánchez owns a small company that makes work uniforms. Her home city, Pereira, was one of the worst hit, and a wall inside the factory collapsed. Sánchez and her 12 workers got outside just in time.

"It was shocking — the city fell down around us," she said.

Pereira's municipal government said at least 58 buildings collapsed, while Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said at least 40 buildings had collapsed.

Both cities enforced curfews Monday night to prevent looting. And in Pereira, the city government has banned privately owned vehicles from circulating to clear the way for ambulances, police and rescue workers.

The State Department has announced it would provide $15.5 million for emergency shelter, food and other aid. Governments across Latin America have also lined up to help.

"This has been a tragedy for the whole city, for thousands of families," Pereira Mayor Mauricio Salazar told local media, his voice quavering. "But here we are, and we will continue forward with the hand of God."

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