A 32-year-old woman, who had been trapped under rubble for 36 hours following the 7.4-magnitude quake which shook western Colombia, has been rescued alive.
Daniela Largo was pulled from beneath a collapsed building in the city of Pereira after a 10-hour-long rescue operation.
Firefighters finally managed to reach her via a tunnel they dug below four concrete slabs under which she had been buried.
Official statistics show that the earthquake has killed at least 188 people, while hundreds more are still unaccounted for.
According to data from the Association of Colombian Capital Cities (Asocapitales), Pereira, a city in the coffee-growing area of Colombia, has 79 confirmed deaths, the second-highest number behind Cali, which has 95.
Largo’s mother told the news agency that someone in the area had heard her daughter scream for assistance from under the debris.
With the use of a tiny camera, rescue personnel were able to find Largo once they got to the scene.
However, four large concrete slabs were obstructing the path, making her rescue more difficult.
Daniela Largo rescued alive after Colombia earthquake
Colleagues from Bogotá, the capital, assisted local firefighters. and two tunnels had to be dug in order for the national police force’s disaster response squad to get to her.
They were able to give Largo oxygen from a single hole they had excavated from above. However, they were only able to let her free by digging a second tunnel from below.
Abelardo de la Espriella, the president of Colombia, praised her rescue on social media, calling it “news which fills us with hope.”
“Her 12-year-old son is waiting for her at home,” according to Largo’s mother.
At least ninety-two structures in Pereira fell. According to Asocapitales, 37 individuals have been reported missing and 15 people are confirmed to be trapped.
Rescue Efforts Continue After Colombia Earthquake
He said that there was still hope of discovering more people alive and that everyone will try their hardest to liberate those trapped. “We need to make sure that the rescue work can be carried out safely,” he said.
So far, 87 individuals have been saved in the city.
Although it was felt over a wide region, its epicenter was close to the community of San José del Palmar in the province of Chocó.
The closest seismometers to the epicenter recorded tremors that lasted for 90 to 2 minutes.
