The family had been trapped under the collapsed structures of an apartment building in the south of the Valle del Cauca capital. Earthquake in Colombia. Cali, among the most affected cities in the country. Photo: Juan Pablo Rueda / EL TIEMPOREPORTER 10.08.2026 18:10 Updated: 10.08.2026 18:20
Amid the desolation and anguish that Cali is experiencing, a glimmer of hope moved rescue teams and the entire country. After several hours of intense search and rescue engineering efforts, firefighters and paramedics managed to rescue a mother and her baby, just a few months old, alive. The family had been trapped under the collapsed structures of an apartment building in the south of the city. The emotional moment when the little one was safely extracted from the rubble was met with applause and tears by the volunteers, immediately becoming a symbol of hope and resilience amid the worst seismic disaster of the last decade in Cali and Valle del Cauca. 15 dead and 380 injured in Cali due to the earthquake: the Mayor's Office declared a red alert. The earthquake, magnitude 7.4 with an epicenter in San José del Palmar (Chocó), occurred at 7:34 a.m. at a depth of 82 kilometers, leaving a preliminary balance of 15 people dead and 380 injured in Cali, according to the district Public Health Department. In Valle, there are more than 27 deaths, totaling over 40 fatalities from the natural disaster. The Cali Mayor's Office declared a hospital red alert due to the massive arrival of injured and damages suffered in ten health centers that had to be evacuated urgently. The Emergency and Urgency Regulatory Center (Crue) coordinates the referral of serious injuries, while rescue teams focus their efforts on critical points such as Roosevelt Avenue with 43rd Street and 9th Street. Given the magnitude of the catastrophe, Mayor Alejandro Eder formally requested support from specialized rescue teams from Bogotá and Medellín to accelerate the search for more trapped people. Follow all the information about Colombia on Facebook and Twitter, or in our weekly newsletter.
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