Miracle as mother trapped for 36 hours underneath rubble from Colombia earthquake pulled out alive
Hundreds of people are dead or missing after the strongest earthquake quake in a decade struck towns and cities in western Colombia on Monday.
A woman who had been trapped for 36 hours under rubble caused by the earthquake in western Colombia has been miraculously pulled out alive.
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On Wednesday, Daniela Andrea Largo Sánchez, a 32-year-old mother, was pulled from beneath a collapsed building in the city of Pereira after a rescue operation lasting ten hours.
Firefighters managed to reach her via a tunnel they dug below four concrete slabs under which she'd been buried.
The 7.4-magnitude quake, the strongest to strike Colombia this century, tore through its coffee-growing heartland in the west on Monday, rocking apartment blocks, homes, schools and hospitals - leaving many flattened.
So far, the South American country has reported at least 250 deaths, 2,595 injuries as well as hundreds still missing or made homeless.
Since the tremor, rescue crews, soldiers and sniffer dogs have dug through mountains of rubble, shouting for quiet so they could listen for survivors still trapped under buildings.
Ms Largo's mother told the AFP news agency 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 find her exact location with the help of a small camera.
However, her rescue was complicated by the enormous slabs that 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 Ms Largo with oxygen however, it was only through a second tunnel, dug from below her, that she was able to be freed.
Ms Largo's mother said that "at home, her 12-year-old son is waiting for her".
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella celebrated the miraculous rescue on social media, describing it as "news which fills us with hope".
"We trust in God and in the tireless work of our rescue teams so that more Colombians may be found alive and can return to the arms of their families.
"¡Stand firm for the Homeland!"
¡Hay esperanza!
— Abelardo De La Espriella (@ABDELAESPRIELLA) August 12, 2026
Confiamos en nuestros rescatistas y en los caninos que trabajan sin descanso, día y noche, para encontrar a nuestros hermanos desaparecidos.
Hace pocos minutos, en Pereira, Daniela Andrea Largo Sánchez, de 30 años, fue encontrada con vida después de siete horas… pic.twitter.com/xw1YCdUZIb
'Dreadfully saddened'
The King has said he and the Queen were “dreadfully saddened” by the quake.
In a message posted on social media, Charles said he and Camilla “greatly admire” the “resilience and strength” of the Colombian people.
The King wrote: “To the people of Colombia, my wife and I were so dreadfully saddened to learn of the devastating earthquake that has struck your country, and the tragic loss of life and suffering it has caused.
“At this most difficult of times, our special thoughts are with the bereaved and injured, those awaiting news of family and friends and the emergency responders working tirelessly to support those in need.
“We greatly admire the resilience and strength of the Colombian people, and we send our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences during this most challenging and distressing period.
“Charles R.”
Crews continued to search through the rubble on Tuesday in the hope of finding more survivors.
