Colombia scrambles to find survivors as quake kills 240

Pereira, Colombia - An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck several cities in Colombia's western coffee-growing region and Pacific belt on Monday, killing at least 240 people and destroying over a hundred homes and office buildings. The quake, which was Colombia's strongest in a century, hit the cities early in the morning, causing widespread destruction and leaving many residents without electricity.

The hardest-hit city, Pereira, saw residents sleeping on the streets due to damage to their homes and fear of aftershocks. Gloria Giraldo, a 38-year-old housewife, described the chaos and uncertainty in her life as the neighborhood around her tumbled. Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and pledged rent subsidies for those affected.

Volunteers from Cali quickly began searching for survivors using basic tools and their own hands, forming human chains to remove debris and listen for signs of life. Hospitals in five Colombian cities were put on red alert, and a nighttime curfew was declared in Cali. The quake was felt in neighboring countries, including Ecuador and Panama.