Colombian rescue teams intensify search for survivors as critical hours wane

Rescue teams in Colombia are intensifying efforts to find survivors trapped beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings, racing against time two days after a devastating earthquake claimed the lives of around 250 people in the western regions and the country's coffee-growing area.

Alejandro Eder, mayor of Cali, told reporters that rescue teams are in a race against time to save lives, warning that less than a day remains before the end of the critical first 72 hours, during which the chances of finding survivors are highest.

He added that search operations would continue even after this period, but the priority is to rescue as many people as possible in the remaining hours, emphasizing the need for rescue teams to remain calm and organized to detect any survivors under the debris.

According to official estimates, the earthquake measured 7.4 on the Richter scale and struck Colombia shortly after 7 a.m. local time on Monday, injuring about 3,770 people and destroying more than 9,550 homes. More than 30,300 families have been affected.

In Cali, Colombia's third-largest city, more than 56 buildings collapsed, resulting in at least 95 deaths and around 1,000 injuries, according to Asocapitales, an association of regional capitals.

In Pereira, a city at the heart of the coffee region and about 55 kilometers from the earthquake's epicenter, 79 people were killed, while the mayor's office reported that around 300 people remain missing.

The earthquake's impact is especially significant for the coffee sector, as Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee producer, with hundreds of thousands of families depending on the industry as a primary source of income.

The earthquake struck just days after President Abelardo de Espria took office, following a narrow victory over the previous leftist government's candidate, on a platform focused on reducing public spending and tightening security measures.

Meanwhile, Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bola denied reports that the government had rejected international offers of assistance, affirming that the ministry is coordinating the delivery of aid and shipments that have begun arriving from Peru, Mexico, and El Salvador.