Aftershock of 7.4 Quake Leaves Pereira in Ruins and Searchers Clinging to Hope

On Aug 10 a powerful 7.4 magnitude quake rattled Pereira, Colombia, killing at least 240 and flattening large sections of the city. Rescue volunteers, including 35-year-old Jorge Gonzalez, have spent days sifting through debris in hopes of finding relatives, such as his 87-year-old aunt Nubia Bonilla, whose apartment was found blood-stained. The disaster has left most of Pereira without electricity and with spotty cell service, while supermarkets run low on water and food.

Many inhabitants, like 30-year-old Juan David Gaitan, call the aftermath a "zombie city" due to the shattered streets and hanging power lines. Migrant worker Jesus Pineros, who fled Venezuela three years ago, now confronts a second loss of shelter, while families such as street vendor Maribel Verano search for missing mother and sister trapped in a collapsed hotel. The quake adds to the region’s history of severe natural disasters, recalling the 1999 earthquake and the 1985 Nevado del Ruiz eruption.