Emergency teams in the Colombian city of Pereira on Friday worked urgently to free a man trapped beneath a collapsed hotel following a devastating earthquake. This discovery has become a rare beacon of hope nearly four days after a 7.4-magnitude quake struck San José del Palmar in the Chocó department, causing widespread destruction and claiming hundreds of lives.
The search and rescue mission, now central to the disaster response, has shifted increasingly toward debris clearance and locating the still-missing. Rescuers continue efforts to stabilize rubble at the site of the Ciudad de Cabedal Hotel collapse, where a survivor was discovered alive amid concrete, twisted metal, and shattered bricks.
"There is a possibility that more people remain trapped," stated rescue coordinator John Bedoya to Caracol Television, emphasizing that crews believe "one or two additional lives" could be present in the wreckage. The operation typifies the race against time faced by first responders as the survival window narrows for those buried under the ruins of structures flattened by the tremor.
Since the quake's epicenter near the coffee-producing region, its impact has spread across western Colombia, devastating homes, schools, and infrastructure in key cities including Cali, Pereira, and the port of Buenaventura. Officials reported over 285 fatalities and nearly 4,000 injuries, with nearly 400 individuals still unaccounted for. Tens of thousands of dwellings have been damaged or destroyed, displacing residents and leaving many dependent on temporary shelters.
The ongoing seismic activity, marked by frequent aftershocks, continues to pose risks for survivors in unstable debris and complicates reconstruction efforts. International agencies, including the UN refugee agency UNHCR, have warned that the disaster may exacerbate displacement in a nation already strained by conflict and migration crises. Spokesperson Eujin Byun highlighted concerns about compounded humanitarian challenges for vulnerable populations.
Amid the crisis, President Abelardo De La Espriella is scheduled to visit five affected regions on Friday, including Pereira, Cali, and Quibdo, to assess the devastation and coordinate emergency response efforts. These visits come under scrutiny following earlier criticism of the administration's initial disaster management approach.
