Search teams comb rubble in Colombia nearly a week after quake

Search and rescue teams are diligently working through the debris of collapsed structures in western Colombia, nearly a week after a powerful earthquake devastated cities and towns across the region. The 7.4-magnitude tremor, which struck San Jose del Palmar on Monday morning, has left a trail of destruction, claiming hundreds of lives and leaving many more missing, injured, or homeless.

The earthquake's impact has been felt severely from the Pacific port of Buenaventura to Colombia's coffee-growing heartland and major western cities like Cali and Pereira. Official figures released on Sunday indicate a death toll of approximately 290 people. The situation remains critical for over 140 individuals who are still unaccounted for, while 4,200 others have suffered injuries.

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Unfortunately, there are no signs of life.

Cali and Pereira have borne the brunt of the disaster, accounting for more than two-thirds of the recorded deaths. In these cities, apartment blocks, homes, churches, schools, and hospitals have sustained severe damage or have been completely destroyed. In Cali, Colombia's third-largest city, emergency workers were seen on Sunday sifting through unstable piles of concrete and twisted metal.

Captain Alberto Hernandez of the Cali fire department expressed the grim reality faced by the rescue teams. "Unfortunately, there are no signs of life," he stated. "Miracles can happen, but honestly – as a believer and based on what we have seen – there is no indication that anyone is still alive." The focus of the efforts is increasingly shifting from rescue to the recovery of bodies.

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Miracles can happen, but honestly – as a believer and based on what we have seen – there is no indication that anyone is still alive.