A 32-year-old woman, Daniela Largo, has been rescued alive from beneath a collapsed building in Pereira, western Colombia, 36 hours after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake. Emergency workers conducted a 10-hour operation to free her from under four concrete slabs.
Firefighters, aided by teams from Bogotá and the national police, dug two tunnels to reach Ms Largo. One tunnel provided oxygen, while the other allowed for her extraction. Her mother reported that a local resident heard her cries for help, and a small camera was used to locate her.
Official figures indicate that at least 188 people have died in the quake, with hundreds still unaccounted for. Pereira has reported 79 fatalities, while Cali, Colombia's third most populous city, has 95 confirmed deaths, according to the Association of Colombian Capital Cities (Asocapitales).
In Pereira, 92 buildings collapsed, 15 people are known to be trapped, and 37 are missing. Cali's mayor has declared a night-time curfew and deployed soldiers to ensure safe rescue operations, with over 200 people still trapped as of Tuesday afternoon. Eighty-seven people have been rescued in Cali so far.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella described the rescue as "news which fills us with hope." The earthquake struck at 07:34 local time on Monday, with its epicentre near San José del Palmar in Chocó province, and has been followed by more than 100 aftershocks.