Fading 'Golden Time'... Casualties Mounting Rapidly

[Anchor]

Desperate rescue operations are underway in Colombia following a massive earthquake. While survivors are being found like miracles from beneath collapsed buildings, ongoing aftershocks are slowing down efforts as the death toll and number of missing persons rapidly increase.

Reporter Yu Deok-gi has more.

[Reporter]

Rescue workers comfort a woman trapped under concrete debris at a collapsed building site.

[Colombian Rescue Worker: Please wait a little longer. Everyone is working together.]

After a desperate struggle lasting over 10 hours, this woman in her 30s was safely rescued 36 hours after the earthquake struck.

Another woman in her 30s, who managed to survive while trapped beneath a collapsed building by drinking water handed to her by rescuers, was also rescued 16 hours after being discovered.

On the third day since the earthquake, desperate rescue operations to save even one more life are continuing across earthquake-hit areas in Colombia, including Cali, Pereira, and Manizales.

Acoustic equipment is being deployed to search for signs of life, and residents have formed human chains to clear away building debris.

[Colombian Rescue Worker: We still have a great opportunity. There may be spaces (at the collapse sites) where buried people can survive for a certain period, or even much longer.]

Companion animals such as kittens and puppies are occasionally being rescued as well, but despite desperate efforts to save lives, the death toll is rising rapidly.

While local Colombian authorities report that 250 people have died and nearly 2,600 have been injured so far, the number of missing persons reported on private websites has exceeded 4,000.

[Family Member of Missing Person: I hope my brother is there (in the collapsed building) and that we can find him. But we can't hear anything anymore. (The chances of survival) are slim.]

More than 70 aftershocks are further slowing down the rescue operations.

To prevent looting and provide relief support, the Colombian government has imposed a nighttime curfew in the affected areas and banned the operation of general vehicles, allowing only emergency responders and police.

As the international community steps in to dispatch rescue teams and provide supplies, the South Korean government has also decided to provide USD 1 million, approximately KRW 1.4 billion, in aid through international relief organizations.

(Video Editing: Chae Cheol-ho, Design: Choi Jae-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.