Colombia rescuers race to free man found alive under collapsed hotel after deadly quake
Rescue teams in the Colombian city of Pereira are working against the clock to reach a man found alive beneath a collapsed hotel, a rare spark of hope four days after a devastating 7.4-magnitude earthquake. The death toll has reached 285, with nearly 400 people still missing.
Emergency crews in Pereira, a city in Colombia's coffee-growing region, are fighting time on Friday to free a man discovered alive under the rubble of a collapsed hotel. The rescue has become the central focus of the disaster response, which is gradually shifting from hunting for survivors to clearing debris and accounting for the missing.
Rescuer John Bedoya told Caracol Television from the site that crews believe people may still be alive under the wreckage, possibly one or two. The man was found almost four days after Monday's quake, one of the most powerful to shake the Andean nation in decades.
The 7.4-magnitude tremor struck shortly after 7:30 a.m., with its epicentre in San Jose del Palmar in the Choco department. It toppled apartment blocks and damaged homes, schools, and hospitals across western Colombia, from the Pacific port of Buenaventura to the inland cities of Cali and Pereira.
By Friday morning, authorities reported 285 deaths and nearly 4,000 injured, while close to 400 people remain unaccounted for. The government says tens of thousands of houses have been damaged or destroyed, forcing many Colombians to sleep in shelters or outside unsafe buildings.
The UN refugee agency has warned that the earthquake could trigger fresh displacement in a country already coping with conflict, migration, and other humanitarian pressures. UNHCR spokesperson Eujin Byun told reporters in Geneva that people already uprooted and trying to rebuild their lives now face the risk of "another displacement on top of displacement."
Scores of aftershocks have been recorded since Monday, increasing the danger for rescue workers operating on unstable rubble and for families hesitant to return to damaged homes.
The disaster is shaping up as the first major test for President Abelardo De La Espriella, who took office only days before the quake and has faced criticism for his initial response. On Friday, he is expected to make brief visits to five affected cities, including Pereira, Cali, and Quibdo.
