{
  "id": 693770,
  "title": "Colombia quake rescue efforts enter 'final phase' as toll hits 239",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/colombia-quake-rescue-efforts-enter-final-phase-as-toll-hits-239-693770",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-12T19:52:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/world/20260813/colombia-quake-rescue-efforts-enter-final-phase-as-toll-hits-239"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bogota, Colombia - In a solemn display of mourning, the nation declared three days of official mourning for the victims of a devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the coffee-growing region of Colombia on Monday. Officials stated this was the strongest earthquake to hit the country in the current century, claiming the lives of at least 239 people and leaving 3,700 families homeless according to the national disaster management agency.\n\nThe Colombian government paid respects to those who lost their lives by lowering flags to half-staff in all official buildings across the country as well as embassies abroad. Emergency crews in major cities such as Pereira and Cali worked tirelessly through the night utilizing cranes, search dogs and heavy machinery in their relentless pursuit of survivors. Amid the grim task, a glimmer of hope emerged when 32-year-old Daniela Largo was miraculously rescued from the ruins of a hotel in Pereira after being trapped for an astounding 35 hours. Her rescue offered a rare moment of optimism as the window for finding survivors began to dwindle.\n\nOne mother's relief was palpable upon hearing the news of her daughter's safe recovery. Sandra Milena Perez, Daniela's mother, expressed her gratitude to the rescue team, saying, \"We were losing hope and then we received a call.\" This resonated with the desperate efforts of local residents who had heard faint cries for help echoing beneath the rubble, signaling the ongoing rescue operations.",
  "summary": "BOGOTA — Colombia on Wednesday declared three days of mourning for victims of an earthquake that killed 239 people, as rescuers entered what officials called the final phase of the search for survivors. Monday's magnitude 7.4 quake, the strongest to hit Colombia this century, devastated towns across the coffee-growing west, leaving at least 3,700 families homeless, according to the national…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC World",
        "title": "Woman pulled alive from rubble 36 hours after Colombia quake",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/woman-pulled-alive-from-rubble-36-hours-after-colombia-quake",
        "published": "2026-08-12T11:28:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Colombia quake rescue efforts enter 'final phase' as toll hits 239",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/colombia-quake-rescue-efforts-enter-final-phase-as-toll-hits-239",
        "published": "2026-08-12T19:42:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "China offers Colombia quake relief as new president’s US pivot leaves Beijing waiting",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/china-offers-colombia-quake-relief-as-new-presidents-us-pivot-leaves",
        "published": "2026-08-12T22:15:12.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}