Colombia earthquake rescue enters 'final phase' as death toll rises

Rescue teams in Colombia entered what officials called the 'final phase' of search operations on Wednesday, three days after the country's strongest earthquake this century flattened entire blocks, particularly in the city of Cali.

Authorities said the death toll had climbed to at least 265, with more than 3,500 people injured and nearly 500 still unaccounted for. The rescue of a woman pulled alive from rubble after 36 hours kept hope alive even as search dogs and heavy machinery worked through the hardest-hit neighborhoods of Cali.

The government has declared three days of national mourning. Colombia has asked for supplies rather than foreign rescue personnel, even as families continue to wait at collapsed sites for word of missing loved ones, deepening the toll on communities nationwide.