Anguish of Colombian brother at rubble of building being searched for earthquake survivors
BBC Mundo has gone to the site of Torres del Limonar, a collapsed building in Cali where rescue workers fight to free survivors.
Efraín Gallego clutches at his voice as he recalls his trapped brother, the anguish in his eyes palpable. His 80-year-old sibling perished alongside his wife after the Torres del Limonar building crumbled in Cali, Colombia's third largest city. The quake, registering 7.4 on the Richter scale, has left a city of over two million people grappling with loss.
Mayor Alejandro Éder reports at least 95 fatalities thus far. Amidst the rubble, rescuers and volunteers repeat the phrase "Silence! We are firefighters. If you can hear us, shout or make some noise" when they believe a survivor may be close. Gallego's hope rises when he hears the call, but despair sets in again as no answer emerges.
The Torres del Limonar is one of over 50 collapsed buildings in Cali, a city already scarred by the quake's devastation. Despite the grim toll, some survivors have been found, including an infant. Amid the ruins, Gallego pays tribute to the volunteers aiding in the rescue effort, their tireless work a beacon of hope in the face of tragedy.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
