Woman pulled alive from Colombia quake rubble as toll rises

PEREIRA, Colombia

Rescuers pulled a 32-year-old woman alive from the rubble of a collapsed building in the western city of Pereira on Aug. 11 as crews continued searching for survivors of Colombia’s magnitude-7.4 earthquake.

Daniela Largo was carried from the wreckage wrapped in a blue blanket, prompting cheers and applause from relatives and rescue workers.

“We were losing hope and then we received a call,” her mother, Sandra Milena Perez, said. She said a resident heard cries beneath the rubble and began clearing debris with neighbors before professional rescue teams arrived.

“Thanks to him, today we’re happy,” Perez said. “At home, her 12-year-old son is waiting for her.”

Regional authorities put the death toll from the Aug. 10 earthquake at more than 240, while the national government reported 188. At least 1,600 people were injured.

In Pereira and Cali, soldiers, firefighters and volunteers used cranes, sniffer dogs and heavy machinery to search ruined buildings. Residents formed human chains to remove bricks and broken concrete, while crews repeatedly halted work to listen for voices or movement beneath the debris.

Aftershocks forced many families to spend the night in parks and makeshift shelters because their homes had collapsed or were considered unsafe.

In Cali, part of Hospital Universitario del Valle collapsed, prompting medical staff to move patients to a parking lot and treat some outdoors. Residents brought water, food and other supplies to affected neighborhoods, while long lines formed outside blood donation centers.

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and promised rent subsidies for displaced families during a visit to Pereira. The United States announced $15.5 million in emergency assistance.