Colombian rescuers find woman alive in earthquake rubble

Colombian rescuers pulled a 32-year-old woman alive from the rubble of a collapsed building Tuesday, sparking cheers and applause as exhausted crews raced to find more survivors from the country's strongest earthquake in a century.

Daniela Largo was carried from the wreckage wrapped in a blue blanket as rescuers embraced and relatives shouted with joy. Soldiers, firefighters, and volunteers continued to scour collapsed buildings across western Colombia after Monday's 7.4-magnitude quake.

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We were losing hope and then we received a call.

Authorities revised the death toll down to 216 after local officials in Cali corrected earlier figures. "We were losing hope and then we received a call," said her mother Sandra Milena Perez in Pereira. Perez said a local resident heard cries for help beneath the rubble and joined neighbors in removing debris before professional rescuers arrived. "Thanks to him, today we're happy," she said. "At home her 12-year-old son is waiting for her."

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Thanks to him, today we're happy.

In Pereira and Cali, emergency crews used cranes, dogs, and heavy machinery to search ruined buildings. Volunteers formed human chains to clear debris by hand, hoping to reach people still trapped. As darkness fell, families prepared to sleep in parks as aftershocks rattled damaged neighborhoods where entire blocks had been reduced to rubble. The quake overwhelmed parts of the health system, turning the rescue effort into one of Colombia's largest disaster responses in years.

"The house came down on top of us. I wasn't able to get out," said Beatriz Arcos, who was trapped with her husband and mother beneath their collapsed condominium. "It took about an hour to get us out." Arcos said she was hospitalized after a concrete block fell on her back. Her husband and mother were also injured. In Cali, residents armed with picks, shovels, and their bare hands joined firefighters in digging through collapsed buildings. Rescuers stopped every few minutes to call into the rubble and listen for any response. "We're doing this with our hands, with gloves," said volunteer Pablo Cesar Ruiz. "It's sad to see time slipping away." In Pereira, army units and sniffer dogs combed through twisted concrete and exposed steel. At one site, a rescue squad leader abruptly raised his fist, stopping workers so they could listen for signs of life. Volunteers formed human chains, passing bricks and chunks of masonry hand-to-hand to clear paths into collapsed structures.

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At home her 12-year-old son is waiting for her.

For many families, the desperate search was becoming a vigil. "My aunt lived there. She's under the rubble," said Jorge Gonzalez, standing beside a collapsed building in Pereira. "I arrived yesterday and I haven't left, and until they find her body I don't intend to leave here." While some families waited for news of missing relatives, others were grappling with the loss of homes, possessions, and livelihoods. "We lost everything," said Stella Galvis, fighting back tears after escaping the collapse of her home. "We survived by a miracle."

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The house came down on top of us. I wasn't able to get out.