Tonnes of aid from regional partners began to roll into Colombia on Wednesday, as the search for survivors in the rubble of a powerful earthquake grew more desperate after the temblor razed buildings, buckled roads and crushed cars.
The devastation has tested Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, and his government as it scrambles to respond to the disaster and civil society as it pushes to provide aid to the most affected communities.
De la Espriella said Wednesday evening that at least 265 people died in the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the country’s west on Monday.
The president said nearly 500 people were reported missing, though civilian-run databases put that number at more than 4,100. In total, more than 25,800 families were affected, de la Espriella said.
“Our efforts are focused on the disappeared,” he told journalists in Colombia’s capital.
Teams continued to pick through the rubble in the hardest-hit cities of Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo, as time ticked away for victims to be found – and rescued – alive.