'Zombie city': Pereira reels from quake that killed 240
PEREIRA, Colombia: Jorge Gonzalez searches with his bare hands for his aunt under the ruins of a four-story building in Pereira, one of the cities hardest hit by the powerful earthquake in Colombia that has left at least 240 dead.
Pereira, Colombia has been devastated by a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake, leaving at least 240 people dead. Jorge Gonzalez, a 35-year-old volunteer, has been searching through the rubble of a four-story building for his 87-year-old aunt, Nubia Bonilla. He admits that the chances of finding her alive are diminishing with each passing hour.
Neighbors are struggling to salvage belongings from their damaged homes, as the city is now without electricity and experiencing shortages of water and food. Almost the entire city is left without power, and the cell network is barely functional. Juan David Gaitan, a 30-year-old resident, calls Pereira a "zombie city" due to the widespread destruction.
Jesus Pineros, a 28-year-old construction worker, has lost his home for the second time as the quake also destroyed the house he lived in with his siblings and nephews. He emphasizes that they are starting from the bottom and must rebuild their lives once again. Stella Galvis, an accountant, describes how she and her family were saved by a miracle when their four-story building collapsed around them.
Maribel Verano, a 46-year-old street vendor, is desperately searching for her missing mother and sister, both of whom were in a hotel that collapsed during the earthquake. She is overwhelmed by memories of other tragedies, including the massive earthquake in 1999 that killed nearly 1,200 people and the 1985 eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano that claimed the lives of 25,000 people.
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