Colombia earthquake kills over 100, search continues for more than 3,000 missing

Search and rescue efforts resumed Tuesday across western Colombia after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake Monday left more than 3,000 people missing and at least 111 dead, with some regional officials reporting higher tolls.

Mayors and governors from four hard-hit areas — Cali, Pereira, Chocó, and Manizales — said Tuesday that at least 179 people had died in those municipalities alone. Around 1,600 buildings were reported damaged or destroyed. Soldiers, rescue personnel, and volunteers passed large pieces of concrete by hand along human chains, searching through the rubble for survivors.

Chocó, the region surrounding the quake's epicenter, is one of Colombia's poorest areas and typically accessible only by boat, through jungle terrain, or by airplane. Little was known about the extent of damage there. The remote location has complicated relief efforts, with the area often beset by warring armed groups and limited infrastructure.

President Abelardo De la Espriella, sworn in only days before the disaster Friday, traveled to Chocó's capital, Quibdó, Monday night and announced he had mobilized "the entire military and police apparatus" to respond, deploying engineers, rescue workers, and search dogs. "Chocó will never again be the 'land of the forgotten,'" he said.

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, a farmer living in El Cairo, a town near the epicenter in San Jose Del Palmar. Local authorities said 80 per cent 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," she said.

In Pereira, one of the worst-hit cities, factory owner Mónica Sánchez said a wall inside her uniform-manufacturing facility collapsed during the quake. She and her 12 workers escaped before the building came down. "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 reported at least 40 collapsed structures in his city. Both cities enforced curfews Monday night to prevent looting, and Pereira banned privately owned vehicles to clear streets for ambulances, police, and rescue workers.

The U.S. State Department announced it would provide $15.5 million for emergency shelter, food, and other aid. Governments across Latin America have also pledged assistance.