Woman pulled alive from rubble 36 hours after Colombia quake

A 32-year-old woman, who had been trapped under rubble for 36 hours following the 7.4-magnitude quake which shook western Colombia, has been rescued alive.

Daniela Largo was pulled from beneath a collapsed building in the city of Pereira after a 10-hour-long rescue operation.

Firefighters finally managed to reach her via a tunnel they dug below four concrete slabs under which she had been buried.

At least 188 have died in the quake, according to official figures, and hundreds remain missing.

In Pereira, a city in Colombia’s coffee-growing region, 79 people are confirmed to have died, the second-highest number after Cali, where 95 are dead, according to figures by the Association of Colombian Capital Cities (Asocapitales).

Largo’s mother told AFP news agency that a local resident had heard her daughter cry out for help from beneath the rubble.

Once emergency workers had arrived at the site, they were able to locate Largo with the help of a small camera.

However, her rescue was complicated by the fact that four heavy concrete slabs were blocking the way.

Local firefighters aided by colleagues deployed from the capital, Bogotá, and the disaster response team of the national police force had to dig two tunnels to reach her.

Through one opening, dug from above, they were able to provide Largo with oxygen. But it was only through a second tunnel, dug from below, that they were able to free her.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella celebrated her rescue on social media, describing it as “news which fills us with hope”.

Largo’s mother said that “at home, her 12-year-old son is waiting for her”.

In Pereira, at least 92 buildings collapsed. Fifteen people are known to be trapped and another 37 have been reported missing, according to Asocapitales.

In Cali, Colombia’s third most populous city, more than 200 people remained trapped as of 16:00 local time on Tuesday.