Colombia Earthquake Death Toll Reaches 273 Amid Prolonged Search and Aid Controversy

As rescue operations enter their third day following the powerful earthquake in Colombia, the search is becoming prolonged as the critical 72-hour golden time—considered the vital window for saving lives—has passed.

Foreign media outlets, including AP, AFP, and Reuters, reported on the 13th (local time) that Colombian authorities announced that the earthquake has left at least 273 people dead, some 3,800 injured, and 377 missing.

However, a privately run missing persons database puts the number of missing at over 4,200.

The damage has been concentrated in the western coffee-growing region, particularly in cities like Cali and Pereira.

These areas have suffered massive material damage, with 12,600 homes destroyed, including apartment complexes, and another 74,800 properties damaged.

Residents remain terrified of additional damage as about 150 aftershocks have followed the major quake, including a magnitude 4.2 aftershock that struck today.

Particularly with 72 hours having passed since the disaster—widely regarded as the final threshold for rescuing survivors—scenes are repeatedly playing out where rescue workers raise two fists into the air to save even one more life, prompting everyone in the area as well as heavy machinery to halt and maintain absolute silence.

Diana Rojas, 25, who is volunteering for rescue efforts at the hardest-hit site in Cali, said, "There might be two or three more people alive," adding, "We have been hearing sounds since 2:30 a.m., so we haven't lost hope yet."

Rojas shared the situation on the ground, saying she witnessed a survivor being pulled from the ruins and noting, "They are strangers, but they feel like relatives or friends. We try to remain silent whenever rescue workers ask, but whenever signs of life are detected, every team applauds."

However, some have accepted the expiration of the golden time and transitioned to heavy-hearted rubble removal work.

Milton Castrillon of the Cali city government remarked, "With 72 hours having already passed, we are beginning debris removal work," adding that finding survivors from now on relies on a "miracle from God."

Rescue operations in outlying areas are in an even more grim state.

Rescue workers did not reach some isolated areas, such as the port city of Buenaventura northwest of Cali, until the night of the 12th.

Until then, local residents had to desperately search for survivors by digging through the debris with their bare hands.

Some areas remain inaccessible due to armed groups blocking the way, and according to an International Rescue Committee (IRC) official, some of these groups are extorting donated goods such as food while claiming they will handle the distribution themselves.

Meanwhile, voluntary solidarity and volunteering by citizens are bringing warmth to the scene.

Monica Mina, 38, who runs a restaurant, has been working almost round-the-clock with fellow chefs to prepare 1,000 servings of food featuring scrambled eggs and pork to provide to rescue workers, medical staff, and volunteers.

Amid these circumstances, controversy has also flared up over allegations that the right-wing government of Abelardo de la Espriella rejected rescue teams dispatched from left-wing nations.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized that Colombia has not permitted her country's rescue workers to enter, stating, "We submitted the credentials requested by Colombia, and now they are demanding new ones."

Colombia is reportedly blocking rescue operations by the "Topos," a famous civilian rescue team formed after the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, and has yet to approve China's offer of assistance.

The Colombian side announced that it will only accept relief teams from four countries—the United States, Israel, El Salvador, and Ecuador—citing conditions such as international protocols and meeting self-sufficiency equipment standards.

Jimena Sanchez, the Andes director for the Latin America Working Group (WOLA), a human rights organization in Central and South America, criticized on X (formerly Twitter), "Humanitarian aid must never be politicized, and even when governments fail to provide necessary support, suffering citizens must still be able to receive the help they need."

In response, Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula stated through a statement, "We are not excluding support from any country," adding, "We are cooperating with all nations without ideological or political considerations."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.