An emotional rescue operation brought relief amid the tragedy affecting Colombia’s Coffee Hub. On August 12, 2026, amid applause and celebrations, Daniela Largo, 32 years old, was rescued alive after spending more than 35 hours trapped in the ruins of a hotel that collapsed in Pereira. The rescue occurred after a neighbor heard the woman’s cries for help and alerted emergency teams, renewing hope among firefighters in the search for survivors of the strongest earthquake recorded in the country this century.
The 7.4 magnitude earthquake, which hit the country on August 10, 2026, with its epicenter in San José del Palmar, in the Chocó region, caused the destruction of entire blocks and left a trail of devastation. Authorities updated the official toll of victims, counting 216 deaths, after corrections in data released by the government of the department of Valle del Cauca and the city council of Cali.
More on this story: Update on the earthquake in Colombia: 254 dead and 3,000 missing in updated report
Severe impacts leave cities without power and hospitals on the streets
Cali and Pereira stand out as the municipalities most affected by the catastrophe. In Pereira, the second city with the highest number of victims, totaling 72 deaths, the majority of the 480,000 inhabitants face a lack of electricity, food and bottled water. With the fear of new aftershocks or having lost their homes, thousands of families are sleeping in the open and in makeshift shelters installed in public parks.
Local infrastructure suffered significant damage: affected hospitals had to organize emergency services on the sidewalks, classes were suspended and six airports recorded impacts, with two of them remaining closed to commercial flights.
Community mobilizes and government declares national state of emergency
The rescue operation mobilizes firefighters, volunteers, sniffer dogs and heavy machinery. Amid the scene of destruction, local residents form human chains to remove rubble using their hands, shovels and pickaxes. Listening carefully for small signs of life, such as whistles beneath the ruins, has already made it possible to save other survivors, including a man and his newborn grandson.
President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office on August 7, 2026, declared a national state of emergency, visited affected areas and promised financial aid and housing subsidies for the homeless. The current disaster is reminiscent of the 1999 earthquake tragedy in the same region, which resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people. The international community has already started to send support: the United States government announced the release of US$15.5 million, while the European Union allocated 2 million euros for emergency actions.