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Earthquake, rubble, and rescue
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning in San Jose del Palmar, causing severe damage from the Pacific port of Buenaventura to Colombia’s coffee-growing region and major western cities including Cali and Pereira.
“Official estimates issued on Sunday put the death toll at around 290”
Search teams worked through collapsed buildings on Sunday nearly a week after the quake, with Reuters reporting official estimates of around 290 deaths, more than 140 people still missing, and 4,200 injured.
In Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, emergency workers continued searching unstable piles of concrete and twisted metal as rescue efforts increasingly gave way to the recovery of bodies, and Reuters quoted Cali fire department Captain Alberto Hernandez saying, "Unfortunately, there are no signs of life."
Alongside Colombian teams, an Israeli delegation of 80 people began search-and-rescue operations in Colombia, named “Brit Re’im” (“Alliance of Friends”), and i24NEWS said Tsahal’s Spanish-speaking spokesperson Reserve Major Roni Kaplan emphasized Israel’s experience in urban search-and-rescue operations and said, "All the knowledge developed for Israeli citizens, we now put at the disposal of Colombian citizens."
Israeli mission sparks backlash
While Israeli rescuers worked with local emergency services, Colombian activists and figures criticized the mission after videos circulated that were claimed to document their participation in search and rescue operations following the earthquake.
Al-Jazirah Net reported that Colombian activist Derly Lopez mocked one clip, saying the Israeli soldiers who appeared in neat uniforms “had a brilliant idea for staging a scene,” and it also quoted former Colombian President Gustavo Petro saying the Israelis left the scene without rescuing anyone despite urging them to stay.
The same Al-Jazirah Net account described Ronni Kaplan, the Israeli Army spokesperson for media speaking Spanish, Portuguese, and Asian languages, posting a clip on X saying they were working alongside firefighters, the army, and local authorities in different sites in Cali, confirming that Israel “stands with” Colombia in the aftermath of the disaster.
In parallel, Reuters described the search as increasingly shifting toward recovery of bodies in Cali, where it quoted Captain Alberto Hernandez warning, "Miracles can happen, but honestly - as a believer and based on what we have seen - there is no indication that anyone is still alive."
Aftermath: aid, rebuilding, and risk
As hopes of finding more survivors dimmed, Reuters reported that the relief operation was expanding, including a stadium in Bogota turned into the country’s biggest donation collection center and authorities in Pereira treating injured pets and distributing donated animal food.
“a stadium has been turned into the country's biggest donation collection center”
Reuters also tied the disaster to Colombia’s political calendar, saying the quake was the first major crisis facing President Abelardo De La Espriella, who took office just days before the disaster and announced a plan to oversee relief and reconstruction.
In the midst of the humanitarian emergency, Folha de S.Paulo described residents in Pereira rummaging through debris in search of metal to sell, with the paper reporting that information on Friday (the 14th) pointed to 94 dead in the city and 140,000 affected, about 29% of the municipality’s inhabitants.
Folha de S.Paulo also reported that on a day of scavenging work, it heard from two scavengers that it was possible to make 12,000 to 15,000 Colombian pesos, and it added that Yolian Fernando Vera, 38, said he did not risk going to the metals and collected only what was available on the street.