As search for thousands of missing pushes on, Colombia earthquake tests new president - AP News

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, collapsing buildings, buckling roads and crushing cars across dozens of cities and towns, leaving devastated residents searching for loved ones.
President Abelardo de la Espriella said the quake killed at least 181 people, injured 2,595 and left 195 missing, though civilian-run databases suggest the number of missing could be closer to 4,000.
Deaths were concentrated in Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo, but leaders and families fear casualties in rural areas where little information has emerged.
Rescue crews and volunteers combed through flattened concrete buildings, using excavators and hand-to-hand bucket lines while pausing for silence to listen for survivors; at least one woman was pulled out alive.
Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours critical for finding survivors, a window that can be extended if trapped people have access to food and water, while more than 1,000 homes were destroyed.
Jairo Vargas drove 220 kilometers from Medellin to search for his brother in a collapsed Pereira apartment building, saying he held little hope as rescuers could no longer hear noises from the rubble.