67-year-old volunteer digs through rubble to rescue victims of Colombia quake
After a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck near Pereira, veteran rescuer Julio Cesar Pineda joined volunteers to search the debris for survivors and pets.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked western Colombia on Monday, devastating the area around Pereira and producing a landscape that resembled a bombed city. The disaster has confirmed 273 fatalities and left 377 individuals unaccounted for. Julio Cesar Pineda, a 67-year-old volunteer known locally as “Rescate,” was at home when a wall fell but escaped injury.
He immediately equipped himself with gloves and a helmet and joined thousands of civilians working alongside government-deployed rescue crews. Drawing on experience from the 1999 Armenia quake, Pineda has been clearing heavy concrete and twisted metal to free trapped people and dogs. He earns a living crafting wooden handicrafts and says he acts only because he feels called upon by God. His efforts illustrate the community’s grassroots response to the tragedy.
Why it matters
The story shows how ordinary citizens are crucial to rescue operations after a major natural disaster.
How this story developed
- Aug 10 Strong 7.4 quake rattles Pereira airport, causing panic and structural damage
- Aug 11 Damage to a military barracks in Cali was reported.
- Aug 11 Death toll reported at least 181 and missing estimates range up to 3,900.
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