Colombia earthquake: Hopes fade for survivors as death toll reaches 281

Three days after a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, the chances of finding survivors are diminishing, and despair is mounting among those affected. Makeshift camps are multiplying as thousands are displaced by the disaster, which is the deadliest in the country this century.

Machinery has begun clearing debris from sites where hopes of finding survivors have been extinguished. The death toll climbed to 281 by Thursday evening, with President Abelardo de la Espriella also reporting nearly 4,000 injured and 379 missing. The Colombian disaster agency stated that approximately 13,000 properties were damaged, either partially or completely.

In Cali, the country's third-largest city and one of the hardest-hit, parks and streets have transformed into makeshift settlements. Mari de Carmen Rodriguez, 72, lost her apartment, bought with a lifetime of savings. She now spends sleepless nights in a tent on a football field with her husband. "We are asking for any help we are entitled to so we can settle elsewhere," she lamented, "but everything will take time."

Rescue workers, aided by specialized equipment and trained dogs, continue to search the rubble for any sign of life. The smell of decomposition hangs heavy in the most devastated neighborhoods. The critical 72-hour window after a major earthquake, after which survival chances dramatically decrease, has now passed. The "coffee growing" region in west-central Colombia is also counting its losses.