Search efforts in Colombia enter ‘final phase’ as quake toll reaches 265

Key Points:

• Rescue operations in Colombia following Monday’s magnitude 7.4 earthquake have entered the "final phase," with the death toll rising to 265 and over 3,500 injured, while nearly 500 people remain missing and more than 9,550 homes destroyed.
• The hardest-hit areas include Pereira and Cali, reporting 83 and 74 deaths respectively, with rescue teams working intensively to find survivors beneath collapsed buildings, especially as the critical 72-hour survival window approaches.
• President Abelardo de La Espriella, inaugurated just days before the quake, declared an economic emergency and pledged to create an emergency fund to rebuild damaged hospitals, schools, homes, and infrastructure.
• Local communities and volunteers have mobilized to provide water, food, and blood donations, while rescue efforts have become more organized with police managing volunteer access to reduce noise and improve detection of survivors.
• Analysts note the earthquake as a significant early challenge for President de La Espriella, whose platform included public spending cuts and defunding the state’s risk management unit, which is currently leading the emergency response.