Controversy in Colombia over refusal to allow foreign search and rescue teams

Criticism has arisen in Colombia over the government's decision to deny entry to foreign search and rescue teams following a devastating earthquake on Monday. Chinese ambassador Zhu Jingyang urged President Abelardo de la Espriella to disclose the identity of the official responsible for coordinating international aid. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele stated that his country's rescue teams were already on the ground and did not require additional personnel support.

Mexico's President Caudia Sheinbaum expressed her government's intention to send a team of 225 rescue workers, but required a formal invitation from Colombia. In response to mounting pressure, newspaper El Tiempo claimed that Colombia possessed 23 teams of elite international rescue personnel. The Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday evening that it had called upon the international community to provide assistance, particularly in the most severely impacted regions.

However, social leader Leonard Renteria from Buenaventura reported that, as of the previous day, there was still no information regarding the arrival of rescue workers in the city's partially destroyed port. With the window for saving lives rapidly closing, pressure on the government intensified on social media. Civil engineer Gina Villalobos questioned the technical justification for rejecting assistance from specialized disaster response teams.

Opposition congresswoman Maria Fernanda Carrascal alleged that Colombia's decision was an ideological choice, favoring rescue workers from Israel and the United States over those from Mexico, who had been prepared since Monday.