Earthquake Response Strains Colombia's New Government And Rescuers As They Race Against The Clock

PEREIRA, Colombia  — The hunt for survivors successful nan rubble of Colombia’s powerful earthquake grew much hopeless connected Wednesday, 2 days aft nan quake brought down buildings, buckled roads and crushed cars.

The devastation has tested Colombia’s caller President Abelardo de la Espriella and his authorities arsenic it scrambles to respond to nan earthy disaster and civilian nine arsenic it pushes to supply assistance to nan susceptible communities astir affected by nan quake.

By Tuesday, de la Espriella said nan 7.4 magnitude earthquake had killed astatine slightest 181 group and near 2,595 much injured successful nan westbound of nan country. He said astatine slightest 195 remained missing, but civilian-run databases put that number astatine much than 4,000 Wednesday morning.

Teams continued to prime done nan rubble overnight successful nan hardest-hit cities of Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo, arsenic clip ticked distant for victims to beryllium recovered — and rescued — alive.

Aid agencies see nan first 48 to 72 hours important for retrieving survivors, though that period tin beryllium extended if those trapped person entree to nutrient and water.

Survival takes galore forms successful hard-hit areas

There person been fleeting moments of dream amid nan devastation.

In hard-hit Pereira, rescuers pulled Daniela Largo live from nan rubble precocious Tuesday, capping a analyzable 12-hour rescue successful which crews carved a mini opening done nan debris to free her pinned limb and a expert administered IV fluids to stabilize her. Wrapped successful a bluish blanket, nan young female was carried to a waiting ambulance arsenic firefighters embraced and onlookers erupted successful cheers.

Across nan coffee-growing region, among nan areas worst affected by nan quake, authorities person converted sports arenas, schools and different nationalist buildings into impermanent shelters for thousands of displaced Colombians. In Pereira and Cali, families person been sleeping successful parks — immoderate fearing aftershocks aliases nan illness of their damaged homes, others without homes to return to.

“We person nan astir important things: a tile complete our heads, food, h2o and, successful my case, aesculapian care,” said Edith Penagos, 48, who was staying pinch her teenage boy successful 1 of nan achromatic tents group up successful a Pereira parkland aft nan earthquake forced them from their apartment.

Regional partners committedness thief and assistance groups already connected nan crushed excavation in

In galore areas, nan charismatic consequence to nan disaster has been analyzable by nan ongoing crises of heavy poorness and civilian warfare that has created waves of forced displacement for decades.

“This earthquake compounds an already terrible humanitarian situation, and location is simply a request for accrued support for nan humanitarian response,” said Giovanni Rizzo, Colombia head for nan Norwegian Refugee Council.

Many assistance organizations were already connected nan crushed astatine nan epicenter of nan quake successful Colombia, supporting a 2016 bid accord betwixt nan authorities and leftist rebels, and responding to unit involving different equipped groups that has persisted since then, peculiarly successful Choco.

That beingness allowed humanitarian workers to quickly pivot to disaster relief, said María José Torres, nan U.N. resident coordinator successful Colombia.

“We person a beingness connected nan ground. Therefore, our expertise to beryllium there, coming pinch nan people, I think, has accrued exponentially,” Torres said successful a connection Tuesday.

At nan aforesaid time, assistance from different countries and nonprofits overseas continued to rotation in.

On Wednesday, nan State Department said it would nonstop 2 hunt and rescue teams to Colombia that helped pinch rescue efforts successful Venezuela conscionable weeks before. The U.S. has besides offered complete $15 cardinal successful aid.

Mexico’s president has said she is prepared to nonstop hundreds of hunt and wellness workers, tons of wellness supplies and different equipment.

On Tuesday afternoon, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said his state would nonstop 2 planes loaded pinch 100 tons of aid.

“Our prayers are pinch nan families of nan victims, nan wounded and each nan Colombian people,” Bukele wrote connected X.

Suarez, Janetsky and Alvarez constitute for nan Associated Press. Suarez reported from Bogota, Colombia, and Janetsky reported from Mexico City. AP writers Edith M. Lederer astatine nan United Nations, Isabel DeBre successful Buenos Aires, Argentina and Gabriela Aoun successful San Diego contributed to this report.