On the ground in Cali, Colombia’s worst-hit city after the quake

In Colombia, on 12 August 2026, rescuers searched for survivors after a powerful earthquake that hit Cali hardest. Al Jazeera reported from the city, where a hospital collapsed on video, and a baby was rescued from rubble after a whisper was heard. A woman was pulled alive after about 36 hours under the rubble. Death toll figures rose from 239 to 265 and then 287, and Danish broadcaster DR said nearly 500 were still missing two days after the quake.

Colombia declared three days of mourning. The EU pledged €2 million in aid and Switzerland CHF 1 million, and the UN is scaling up its response. El País wrote that the rescue deployment was uneven and that Colombia was slow to accept international aid.