Search and rescue teams are digging through the rubble after a powerful earthquake hit western Colombia.
At least 179 people are dead, over 3,000 are missing, and rescuers are racing to find survivors before it’s too late.
Video shows the terrifying scene at the airport in Pereira, Colombia, where Jose Gallego and another passenger took cover as the 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the passenger terminal.
“When the earthquake started, it was already very strong,” said one resident. “It seemed like it was not going to end. Thank God we were fine when it ended, but it was really long and strong.”
In the city of Manizales, residents and tourists held on to each other as the ground beneath them suddenly began to shake. A nearby cathedral was partially damaged as walls collapsed during the earthquake.
More than 30 cities and towns were affected by the temblor, which struck the western part of the nation.
The epicenter was in San Jose del Palmar, about 250 miles from the capital, Bogota.
Authorities are warning residents in Pereira, Cali, Quibdo, Manizales, and Armenia to be prepared for possible aftershocks.
“The first order of business is to rescue the people trapped under the rubble,” said Abelardo de la Espriella, Colombia’s president.
Search and rescue teams worked through the night across multiple cities and towns, digging through the rubble of destroyed buildings in search of survivors.
In some places, soldiers, rescue workers, and families passed large pieces of concrete from hand to hand along lines of volunteers.
“Just a moment ago they pulled a little girl out alive, and this morning someone was rescued from the flat on the corner just below,” said José Luis Lozano, a local resident.
About 1,600 buildings are reported damaged or collapsed. At least 132 people have been killed, and that number is expected to rise.
Seismologists say an earthquake this powerful in this area is extremely unusual.
“The earthquakes there are so small that they’re hardly ever felt,” said Rodrigo Alejandro León Loya, a seismologist at the University of the Andes. “Today’s earthquake, then, was quite unusual; a magnitude of 7.4 is statistically considered a significant earthquake.”
Colombia’s newly elected president has declared a state of emergency as rescue crews continue searching for survivors.
Officials warn the death toll could rise, with more people feared trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
