Fading Hopes for Survivors in Colombia as Death Toll Reaches 265 Following Devastating Earthquake

In Pictures People wait as rescuers search for their relative amid the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Pereira, Colombia. [Luis Acosta/AFP]

Colombian rescuers are racing against time to find survivors of Monday’s powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake, as search operations stretch into a fourth day across the country’s west. Authorities report that at least 265 people have been killed and over 3,500 injured, while nearly 500 individuals remain unaccounted for in the strongest quake to strike Colombia this century.

In the city of Pereira, rescue crews are focusing their efforts on a collapsed bakery where they believe street vendor Pablo Loaiza may still be trapped. Specialist teams utilizing vibration sensors and sniffer dogs have reported intermittent signs indicating someone could be alive beneath the concrete. Outside, anxious relatives maintain their vigil. “My heart is about to burst out of my chest,” expressed his niece, 16-year-old Sara Loaiza.

Rescue workers in Cali and Pereira continue to dig through unstable rubble using cranes and hand tools, frequently calling for silence to listen for any sound of voices. President Abelardo de la Espriella has declared an “economic emergency” alongside three days of national mourning, while thousands of citizens sleep outdoors in makeshift shelters and volunteers organize food, water, and blood donations for the hardest-hit communities.

A Mexican rescue worker searches through rubble two days after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia. [Santiago Saldarriaga/AP Photo]

Patients from a clinic that was evacuated due to earthquake damage lie in beds at a temporary facility established in a gymnasium at a nearby school in Cali. [Santiago Saldarriaga/AP Photo]

Rescue efforts in Colombia following Monday’s devastating earthquake have entered what officials describe as the “final phase” as the death toll climbs to 265, with more than 3,500 others wounded. [Raul Arboleda/AFP]

Volunteers participate in a supply collection drive for the earthquake victims at the Nemesio Camacho 'El Campin' stadium in Bogota. [Esteban Vega La-Rotta/AFP]

Rescue crews on Wednesday were fast approaching the critical 72-hour mark since the quake, which is the period during which survivors are considered most likely to be found alive beneath collapsed structures. [Luis Acosta/AFP]

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake stands as the strongest to hit Colombia this century. Nearly 500 people remain missing, according to local authorities, and more than 9,550 homes have been completely destroyed. [Fernando Vergara/AP Photo]

People sleep in a park after their homes sustained heavy damage from the earthquake that struck Pereira, Colombia. [Fernando Vergara/AP Photo]

Pereira, situated in the heart of Colombia’s coffee region, and Cali, the nation's third-largest city, reported 83 and 74 deaths respectively. [Raul Arboleda/AFP]

Rescue workers and volunteers continue to remove rubble as they search for survivors at the sites of collapsed buildings following the earthquake in Cali. [Raul Arboleda/AFP]