For Colombian President De la Espriella, however, the search and rescue phase has already concluded.
On Thursday, Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder confirmed that his administration will continue search-and-rescue operations for victims trapped beneath the rubble of buildings that collapsed during the Aug. 10 earthquake.
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“As long as there is hope of finding people alive beneath the rubble, rescue teams and agencies will continue working tirelessly to find them,” he said.
“That is why, from the Unified Command Post, the decision was made to extend the search and rescue window at the critical points we have in Cali.”
“We have Colombia’s best rescuers, and we continue to receive support from allied countries. We will not stop searching as long as there is a life we can save,” Eder stressed.
Outside the Institute of Legal Medicine in Cali, families affected by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake remain in tents under extremely vulnerable conditions, awaiting official information about their loved ones trapped beneath collapsed structures.
Colombian communities are calling for the immediate resumption of search and rescue operations, clinging to hope of finding survivors alive.
Just three days after the earthquake occurred, however, far-right Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella considers the search-and-rescue phase to have already ended. This was expressed through his Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara.
“You know that the search and rescue phase has been completed. I want to thank our firefighters and rescuers because they covered that phase very quickly. Once the search-and-rescue stage is completed, the second stage begins, which is addressing the needs of the people affected by the earthquake,” he said during a news conference.
The De la Espriella administration’s decision, however, contradicts the recommendations of international advisers, who have indicated that search-and-rescue operations should continue for at least seven days after the earthquake.
COLOMBIA IS A COLONY RULED BY AN ILLEGITIMATE PRESIDENT
Former Colombian president Gustavo Petro stated that foreigners used foreign money to commit electoral fraud and installed a president, Abelardo de la Espriella, who, he states, did not win the election.
Because of this,… pic.twitter.com/TJhOYAiinp— Sovereign Media (@sov_media) August 14, 2026
The Needs of Displaced People In Colombia Have Increased
On Friday, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned that the earthquake has affected numerous displaced communities whose needs are increasing.
So far this year, UNHCR has secured only 20% of the US$86.2 million it needs to address the needs of displaced people and refugees in Colombia, UNHCR spokesperson Eujin Byun said.
After the earthquake, their most urgent needs include shelter, food, drinking water, health care and psychological support, especially for families whose homes have been damaged or destroyed.
“In some of the hardest-hit areas, families who had already been forced to leave their homes now face the possibility of losing them once again,” Byun said.
Numerous affected localities host large displaced populations or people in need of international protection, including Pereira, Palmira, Armenia, Ibague and Cali, the latter with more than 133,000 people in that situation.
“Colombia continues to host one of the world’s largest internally displaced populations while also responding to ongoing conflicts, migratory movements, phenomena related to climate change and natural disasters,” UNHCR pointed out.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: ACNUR – EFE
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