Search efforts continue in Colombia after the 7.4 earthquake that devastated much of the coffee country. As in Venezuela, every minute counts, but hope is not lost to find survivors alive.
There are heartbreaking stories. Like that of little Mateo, who died at just six years old and happened to be the son of the mayor of Bahía Solano municipality, in the Chocó department. Leonel Valencia not only has to deal with the management of a natural disaster now but also with the loss of a loved one. The boy died as a result of the collapse of the building he was in, as reported by Efe.
He is not the only minor who died on Monday. As reported by 'El Tiempo' of Colombia, in the municipality of Calima-El Darién (north of Cali), four children perished. In this place, "several homes, institutional buildings, the main church, and two schools in the area collapsed," as reported by this newspaper.
And amidst such desolation, life always finds a way. This is what happened in Cali, as reported by 'El Heraldo', where emergency teams rescued a six-month-old baby alive. Under tons of rubble was also his mother, who shielded her child with her own body.
The magazine 'Semana' of Colombia also highlighted a ray of hope. The mayor of Bogotá, Carlos Fernando Galán, recounted the rescue feat of a man: "This morning, around 3:57 a.m., they managed to rescue a 35-year-old man alive from the rubble. Carlos Esteban Rebolledo, the rescued patient, has some minor injuries and is receiving the necessary attention, but is out of danger."
As rescue work continues, hospitals are overwhelmed, and curfews have been imposed. Like in other disasters, it is difficult to determine the number of missing persons. As reported on Tuesday by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, there are 164 missing Spaniards.