The 7.4-magnitude quake that struck Pereira, Colombia, has killed at least 240 people and caused widespread destruction across the city. Volunteers and rescue teams are combing through rubble for survivors while most of the city remains without power and mobile networks are patchy. Residents face shortages of water and food, and many compared the scene to past regional disasters like the 1999 earthquake and the 1985 Nevado del Ruiz eruption. Search-and-rescue operations are ongoing as families await news.
Pereira Becomes a 'Zombie City' After 7.4-Magnitude Quake — At Least 240 Dead
Electricity was all but gone in the hardest-hit city of Pereira, with a population of over half a million (Jaime SALDARRIAGA)
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Pereira, a major coffee hub in western Colombia, leaving at least 240 people dead and vast sections of the city in ruins. Rescue teams and hundreds of volunteers continue to comb through collapsed buildings and rubble, racing to find survivors as families wait anxiously for news.
Search and Rescue Efforts
Among those digging by hand is Jorge Gonzalez, 35, who tirelessly searches the wreckage of a four-story building for his 87-year-old aunt, Nubia Bonilla. Gonzalez describes finding the apartment bathroom "covered in blood," and says he will remain at the site until he receives confirmation of her fate.
"Since yesterday, I got here and I haven't left. Until they give me the body, I'm not leaving this place," Gonzalez told AFP. "She was all I had, and she's gone. Now I'm all alone."
Citywide Disruption
The quake left almost all of Pereira without electricity and severely limited mobile phone coverage. Supermarkets and local shops quickly began to experience shortages of water and basic food items as residents returned at dawn to salvage belongings from damaged homes before they collapsed entirely.
Scenes Of Devastation
"It's a zombie city," said resident Juan David Gaitan, describing streets strewn with glass, chunks of brick and crumbled concrete. Hundreds of houses have either collapsed or are badly cracked; cars lie crushed beneath fallen walls and power lines hang dangerously above roadways.
For migrants such as 28-year-old construction worker Jesus Pineros, the disaster is a second tragedy. Pineros fled Venezuela three years ago and lost the home he shared with siblings and nephews in the quake. His family has taken temporary refuge with relatives, with several children sleeping on mattresses on the pavement after being too frightened to remain indoors when the roof groaned.
Personal Loss And Historical Echoes
Many residents recounted narrow escapes and heartbreaking losses. Accountant Stella Galvis said she, her child and husband ran outside seconds before their four-story building collapsed. Street vendor Maribel Verano, 46, is desperately searching for her mother, 72-year-old Luz Marina, and sister, 38-year-old Sandra, both believed trapped when a small hotel in a commercial area fell into rubble. Verano's mother recently suffered a thrombosis; her sister uses a wheelchair after meningitis.
Survivors compared the current devastation to earlier regional catastrophes: the 1999 earthquake that killed nearly 1,200 people in the same area and the 1985 Nevado del Ruiz volcanic eruption that destroyed the town of Armero and claimed some 25,000 lives.
Rescue efforts continue across Pereira as emergency crews, volunteers and relatives try to reach the hardest-hit neighborhoods. Authorities are working to restore power and communications and to get essential supplies to displaced families while casualty numbers may still rise as operations proceed.
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