Rescue teams in Colombia are racing against time to find survivors still trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country, killing at least 250 people.
“We continue to hold out hope, at least until around four days after the earthquake,” said Camilo Cano, a firefighter from Bogotá assisting rescue operations in Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city.
Cano said local rescuers and residents had pulled more than 20 people alive from a residential complex during the first 12 hours after the earthquake.
Three days national mourning
Three more people were subsequently rescued alive during more difficult operations beneath the rubble, he added.
The Colombian government has declared three days of national mourning in honour of the victims of the devastating earthquake.
The national flag will be flown at half-mast on public buildings across the country, as well as at Colombian embassies and consulates abroad, “in tribute to all those who lost their lives”, according to the decree.
Rescue teams continue to search through the debris for people who may have survived the disaster, as emergency workers race against time to reach anyone still trapped.
