▲ Members of the volunteer rescue group "Topos Azteca" conduct rescue operations at the site of a severe earthquake in Colombia.
Members of "Topos Azteca" (hereafter Topos), a Mexican civilian rescue group that has traveled to disaster sites around the world for some 40 years, are fighting desperately to carry out rescue operations at the site of a major earthquake in Colombia.
According to the U.S. daily The New York Times (NYT) on the 13th (local time), Topos members are engaged in desperate rescue operations to find survivors at the earthquake-hit site in Cali, Colombia's third-largest city.
Previously, the members spent 40 days rescuing survivors and recovering bodies in La Guaira, the area hardest hit by a major earthquake in Venezuela.
Then, when a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia on the 10th, they boarded a midnight flight bound for Colombia.
As the 72-hour "golden time"—widely known as the critical window for rescuing survivors—passed, the members fought desperately to save even one more person.
Alex Rodriguez, a field rescue worker, told the NYT, "In La Guaira, we only recovered bodies toward the end of the operation," adding, "But here right now, we are fighting against time and trying desperately to find signs of survival."
Residents of Cali, one of the areas worst hit by the recent earthquake, immediately recognized the Topos members wearing their orange uniforms.
Residents expressed their gratitude to Hector Mendez, the founder and leader of Topos who oversees the rescue operations, and even took pictures with him amid the debris.
The footage released by the Mayor's Office of Cali also captured images of leader Mendez.
Topos is a veteran civilian rescue team that has operated worldwide for some 40 years, having been formed in the wake of the massive 1985 earthquake that struck Mexico City and claimed the lives of some 10,000 people.
The rescue team has rushed to disaster zones around the globe, ranging from major earthquakes in Türkiye and the war in Ukraine to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001.
The members undergo intensive training courses.
They train in first aid, rope usage, towing and rescue techniques, structure stabilization, and disaster simulations, and must participate in domestic disaster sites before being dispatched overseas.
While there are some 250 to 300 members at the Mexican headquarters, about 20 members were dispatched to the recent earthquake site in Colombia.
Once overseas missions conclude, Topos also engages in activities to discover and train local volunteers who show aptitude, helping the respective countries prepare themselves for future disasters.
While some members hold qualifications as firefighters or emergency medical technicians, many others have regular jobs unrelated to disaster response.
All of them are volunteers, and a significant number operate at their own expense.
Miguel Garcia, a member who runs a Chinese medicine-related business with his spouse, described rescue work as his hobby.
He joined Topos following his father, a veteran rescue worker who taught him first aid and firefighting skills when he was young.
Garcia told the NYT, "A diverse group of people gathers here, ranging from local bus drivers to people selling sandwiches on the subway."
He also said, "The uncertainty of whether we will make it out safely from a collapsed structure fosters a deep sense of camaraderie among those working together," adding, "We share a mission to serve."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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