Rescue efforts intensify as quake devastates western Colombia towns

What the report says

Search-and-rescue operations are continuing across western Colombia after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck on Monday, killing at least 132 people and leaving thousands missing, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing authorities. The quake hit shortly after 7:30 a.m. local time and affected cities and towns including Cali, Pereira, Quibdo and Manizales, with damage reported across a wide area.

Officials said roughly 1,500 to 1,600 buildings were damaged or collapsed, and in some places survivors, soldiers, emergency crews and residents were working together to clear rubble by hand. In El Cairo, near the epicentre in San Jose del Palmar, local authorities said most of the town was damaged. Families have also been using citizen-run websites and digital databases to post information about missing relatives, with the number of unaccounted-for people rising through Monday.

President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office only days earlier, has deployed military and police resources, including engineers, rescue teams and search dogs, to the hardest-hit areas. The United States has also pledged emergency aid. The disaster is significant not only because of the death toll and widespread destruction, but also because it is unfolding in one of Colombia’s poorer and more remote regions, where many buildings are vulnerable and access is difficult.

Colombia sits in an active seismic zone along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where smaller tremors are common, though major quakes are less frequent. Authorities warned the toll could still increase as crews continue to search collapsed structures.