Rescuers in the Colombian city of Cali pulled a 6-month-old baby alive from the rubble of an apartment building on Tuesday, August 11, following a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the country's west. Dramatic video shows several people sifting through debris before locating the infant, who was brought out alongside a man from the collapsed structure.
Rescue Operation in Cali
The rescue occurred as teams continued to pick through rubble overnight in the hardest-hit cities of Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo. The baby's extraction, captured on video, highlighted the desperate race against time as officials warned that chances of finding more survivors were fading.
According to Colombia's new President Abelardo de la Espriella, speaking on Tuesday, August 11, the earthquake had killed at least 181 people and left 2,595 more injured in the west of the country. He added that at least 195 individuals remained missing, though civilian-run databases suggested the number could be closer to 4,000.
Government and Civilian Response
The president's figures were provided during a briefing on the disaster, which struck on Monday, August 10. The discrepancy between official and civilian missing-person counts underscored the challenges in assessing the full scale of the catastrophe in a region with widespread infrastructure damage.
Emergency teams worked through the night in the affected cities, prioritizing areas where voices or movements were detected. The successful rescue of the baby in Cali offered a rare moment of hope amid the devastation.
Impact and Ongoing Efforts
The earthquake has left thousands injured and hundreds dead, with rescue operations expected to continue for days. Authorities have not yet provided a timeline for when search efforts might conclude, but the focus remains on locating the missing and providing medical care to the wounded.
As of Tuesday, August 11, the death toll stood at 181, with 2,595 injuries and at least 195 missing, according to President de la Espriella. The civilian database figure of 4,000 missing, if accurate, would significantly raise the scale of the tragedy.
