Colombia rescuers find woman alive as earthquake death toll passes 200

Colombian rescuers pulled 32-year-old Daniela Largo alive from a collapsed building in Cali on Tuesday, as the earthquake death toll passed 200. Crews kept digging through rubble in Cali and Pereira after Monday's magnitude 7.4 quake, the country's strongest in a century, hoping to reach more survivors.

What is happening in Cali, Colombia right now?

Rescue teams in Cali are searching collapsed buildings for survivors a day after Colombia's strongest earthquake in a century. Soldiers, firefighters and volunteers are using cranes, dogs and heavy machinery, while residents form human chains to clear debris by hand. Aftershocks continue to rattle the city as the confirmed death toll climbs.

Largo was carried from the wreckage wrapped in a blue blanket as rescuers embraced and relatives shouted with joy. Authorities revised the death toll to 216 after local officials in Cali corrected earlier figures.

"We were losing hope and then we received a call," said her mother, Sandra Milena Perez, in Pereira. Perez said a local resident heard cries for help beneath the rubble and joined neighbors in clearing debris before professional rescuers arrived. "Thanks to him, today we're happy," she said. "At home her 12-year-old son is waiting for her."

How are rescuers searching for survivors in Colombia?

In Cali, residents armed with picks, shovels and their bare hands are digging alongside firefighters. Rescuers stop every few minutes to call into the rubble and listen for a response. "We're doing this with our hands, with gloves," said volunteer Pablo Cesar Ruiz. "It's sad to see time slipping away."

In Pereira, army units and sniffer dogs are combing through twisted concrete and exposed steel. At one site, a rescue squad leader raised his fist to halt work so the team could listen for signs of life, and volunteers formed human chains to pass bricks and masonry hand to hand.

Beatriz Arcos was trapped with her husband and mother beneath their collapsed condominium. "The house came down on top of us. I wasn't able to get out," she said. "It took about an hour to get us out." Arcos was hospitalized after a concrete block struck her back; her husband and mother were also injured.

How are Colombian families coping with the earthquake?

For many families, the search has become a vigil. "My aunt lived there. She's under the rubble," said Jorge Gonzalez, standing beside a collapsed building in Pereira. "I arrived yesterday and I haven't left, and until they find her body I don't intend to leave here."

Other families are grappling with the loss of homes and possessions. "We lost everything," said Stella Galvis, fighting back tears after escaping the collapse of her home. "We survived by a miracle, since I managed to get my little boy out and my partner managed to get out too."

From the air, neighborhoods in Cali appear flattened, with piles of grey rubble replacing entire blocks of homes and apartments. Cars lie crushed beneath fallen walls and concrete slabs. On one mound of debris, a young couple climbed over broken masonry searching for belongings and recovered a box from inside a child's bedside table.

Many survivors spent the night outdoors, either because their homes were damaged or because they feared aftershocks. One park in Pereira was transformed into a makeshift shelter with tents and mattresses. "We lost everything, but we're alive," said 23-year-old John Tabasco, who camped there with his wife and seven-month-old son. "We've never had to do this before, to depend on someone else to help us. It's amazing how life can change."

Jaime Alzate, 79, struggled to come to terms with losing a home built over decades. "You buy a little house with so much effort, spending 40, 50 years struggling to get yourself that house, you finally get it and in just a few days it all goes down the drain," he said.

What help has been offered to Colombia earthquake victims?

In Cali, part of the Hospital Universitario del Valle collapsed during the quake, forcing doctors to move patients into a parking lot and treat some in the open air. The quake overwhelmed parts of the health system, turning the rescue effort into one of Colombia's largest disaster responses in years.

Despite the destruction, many Colombians have mobilized to help. Thousands have brought water, food and supplies to affected neighborhoods, and long lines have formed outside blood donation centers. "It's about wanting to help your community, your city and your country," said blood donor Ferney Cabrera.

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency Tuesday and promised rent subsidies for affected families during a visit to Pereira. The United States announced $15.5 million in emergency aid, and messages of support arrived from around the world. As aftershocks continue to rattle damaged cities, rescue crews are pressing on through the ruins, hoping more voices, taps or whistles might still emerge.