The death toll from a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday has risen to at least 224, as rescue operations continue in heavily damaged areas. Colombia’s Geological Survey said more than 70 aftershocks have been recorded nationwide since the quake. Rescue workers are searching collapsed structures for survivors, while damage has affected buildings and roads near the epicentre.

In Cali, a woman was rescued alive from a collapsed building about 30 hours after the earthquake, and a child was also pulled from the rubble of a residential building. Several people remain trapped in a collapsed building in Pereira, where rescuers and volunteers are working with cranes and fuel trucks. A fire at a prison in Buenaventura killed at least four people and left two hospitalized, according to Valle del Cauca Governor Dilian Francisca Toro.

La Italia, in San Jose del Palmar municipality, faces severe damage, water and power shortages, and isolation after 18 landslides blocked the main road toward Cartago. The United States has sent a disaster assistance team, while Mexico is preparing a 255-member search-and-rescue team pending a formal request. President Abelardo de la Espriella announced economic support for affected communities.