Colombia quake toll tops 220 as 6-month-old baby survives building collapse

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday morning has killed 224 people, injured over 1,000 and left nearly 3,000 missing, many still trapped under rubble.

President Dela Espriella, who took office days ago, declared a national disaster as rescuers raced to find survivors.

In Cali, one of the hardest-hit cities, a five-storey residential building collapsed completely. Rescuers and residents dug through debris for hours and found a mother and her six-month-old baby. The mother had shielded the infant with her body, protecting the child from falling concrete. Both were rescued.

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In the same city, firefighters conducted 16 to 24 hours of intense search operations, saving a 35-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman who had been trapped for nearly a full day.

The quake struck at 7.34am with its epicentre about 20km from San José del Palmar in Choco province, at a depth of 96km. Northwestern University seismologist Van der Lee said the deep but high-magnitude inland quake, combined with strike-slip movement along a near-vertical fault, may have worsened damage in densely populated valleys.

The Coffee Axis region, a Unesco World Heritage site and key economic area, suffered severe damage. Pereira, capital of Risaralda province, reported at least 60 deaths.

The disaster destroyed 165 buildings and damaged more than 1,500. A paediatric and neonatal ward at a Cali hospital collapsed, and the tower of Manizales' neo-Gothic cathedral was severely damaged. At least six regional airports suspended operations.

Authorities put five provincial capitals on red alert for medical services, with a night curfew imposed in Cali. Some residents fled their homes naked or jumped from second-floor windows in panic, according to local law student Cuesta.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓