Colombia rescue teams shift to recovery as quake toll nears 300

The disaster, which hit San Jose del Palmar on Monday, has left nearly 4,000 injured and thousands displaced across the region. In Cali, the country's third-largest city, search teams are picking through the wreckage of collapsed apartment blocks, including the Limonar Tower, while frequent aftershocks threaten the safety of workers and residents alike. The scale of the destruction has strained basic infrastructure, leaving survivors to rely on a massive, countrywide relief effort centered in Bogota.

Volunteers at the capital's stadium have processed 700 tons of supplies, ranging from food to medicine, to support the affected regions. The crisis represents the first major test for President Abelardo De La Espriella, who assumed office just days before the tremor. To bolster the reconstruction of public facilities, banker Jaime Gilinski has pledged 150 billion Colombian pesos—roughly $47.75 million—specifically for the restoration of schools and hospitals in his hometown of Cali.