Rescue operations continued across western Colombia for a second day on Tuesday after a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake killed at least 164 people, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise further.
The earthquake, described as Colombia’s strongest in decades, struck the country’s coffee-growing heartland early on Monday, causing widespread destruction across several cities.
In Cali, a city of around 2.2 million people, at least 85 people were killed as buildings collapsed or were left dangerously unstable. Many residents were forced into the streets amid concerns that damaged structures could fall.
Significant destruction was also reported in Pereira, where multi-storey buildings were reduced to rubble, while in Manizales, the earthquake severely damaged one of the towers of a historic cathedral.
Emergency crews, supported by police, soldiers and volunteers, worked through the night searching for people trapped beneath collapsed buildings and homes.
Rescuers used excavators to clear debris but in some locations were forced to dig through the rubble by hand as they searched for survivors.
Authorities expect casualty figures to increase as rescue teams gain access to heavily damaged areas and continue searching collapsed structures.