South America

Woman pulled alive from rubble 36 hours after Colombia earthquake

Rescue workers pulled a 32-year-old woman alive from beneath concrete slabs after a 10-hour operation, more than a day and a half after a magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia. The confirmed death toll has passed 240 as search efforts continue.

Search and rescue effort at a collapsed building under grey skies
Search and rescue effort at a collapsed building under grey skiesPhoto: Doruk Aksel Anıl / Pexels
BBC Latin America1 h ago

Rescue workers in western Colombia pulled a 32-year-old woman alive from beneath slabs of concrete after a grueling 10-hour operation, more than 36 hours after a magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck the region. The dramatic rescue offered a rare moment of hope as crews continued combing through collapsed buildings for survivors.

Officials said the confirmed death toll has now surpassed 240, with thousands of people still listed as missing across the affected areas. The Colombian government has declared three days of national mourning as search-and-rescue teams push additional personnel and equipment into the hardest-hit zones.

International offers of assistance have continued to arrive, but Colombian authorities say they are currently prioritizing supplies and logistical support over foreign search-and-rescue personnel. Rescue operations are expected to continue for several more days as hope fades for finding additional survivors beneath the rubble, even as isolated rescues like this one keep crews working around the clock.

South AmericaBBC Latin America
This article is an AI-curated summary of the original story published by BBC Latin America. The illustration is a stock photo by Doruk Aksel Anıl from Pexels and is not from the original story.

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