PEREIRA, Colombia (AP) — The search for life in the rubble of Colombia’s powerful earthquake grew more desperate on Wednesday as search teams pushed up against a key time threshold to locate survivors with signs of life.
The devastation has tested Colombia’s new President Abelardo de la Espriella and his government as it scrambles to respond to the natural disaster and civil society as it pushes to provide aid to the vulnerable communities most affected by the quake.
Click to Gallery
Neighbors embrace as rescue workers search through the rubble of a collapsed apartment building the day after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Volunteers and rescue workers use buckets to remove debris of a collapsed building a day after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
Patients from a clinic evacuated due to earthquake damage lie in beds at a temporary facility set up in a gymnasium at a nearby school in Cali, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
Rescue workers carry Diana Troncoso after pulling her from the rubble the day after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia) CORRECTION: Changes city to Cali, not Pereira.
By Tuesday, de la Espriella said the 7.4 magnitude earthquake had killed at least 181 people and left 2,595 more injured in the west of the country. He said at least 195 remained missing, but civilian-run databases put that number closer to 4,000.
Teams continued to pick through the rubble overnight in the hardest-hit cities of Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo, as time ticked away for victims to be found — and rescued — alive.
Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours crucial for retrieving survivors, though that threshold can be extended if they have access to food and water.
Small successes have broken through the flattened buildings: rescuers pulling a dust-covered baby through a crack in a concrete wall and onlookers cheering as teams lift a woman onto a stretcher.
In many areas, the official response to the devastation has been complicated by the ongoing crises of deep poverty and civil warfare that has forced displacement for decades.
“This earthquake compounds an already severe humanitarian situation, and there is a need for increased support for the humanitarian response,” said Giovanni Rizzo, Colombia director for the Norwegian Refugee Council.
A 2016 peace accord between rebels and the government along with an ongoing armed conflict may allow aid organizations to distribute food and other emergency materials more quickly, said María José Torres, the U.N. resident coordinator in Colombia. Aid organizations are already in place in some conflict-torn centers because of the peace process, including Choco at the epicenter of the quake.
“We have a presence on the ground. Therefore, our ability to be there, present with the people, I think, has increased exponentially,” Torres said in a statement Tuesday.
At the same time, aid from other countries and nonprofits abroad continued to roll in.
The U.S. has offered over $15 million in aid and Mexico’s president said she is prepared to send hundreds of search and health workers, tons of health supplies and other equipment.
On Tuesday afternoon, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said his country would send two planes loaded with 100 tons of aid in the coming days.
“Our prayers are with the families of the victims, the wounded and all the Colombian people,” Bukele wrote on X.
Suarez reported from Bogota, Colombia, and Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Manuel Rueda in Bogota contributed.
Neighbors embrace as rescue workers search through the rubble of a collapsed apartment building the day after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Volunteers and rescue workers use buckets to remove debris of a collapsed building a day after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
Patients from a clinic evacuated due to earthquake damage lie in beds at a temporary facility set up in a gymnasium at a nearby school in Cali, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)
Rescue workers carry Diana Troncoso after pulling her from the rubble the day after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia) CORRECTION: Changes city to Cali, not Pereira.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A democratic socialist is trying to rise above the party establishment's chosen candidate who revived his campaign after another leading contender dropped out in Wisconsin's chaotic primary race for governor on Tuesday.
The winner will advance to take on Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November in an open race that could test the limits of progressives' appeal in a critical battleground state.
Democrats are hoping to capitalize on low approval ratings for President Donald Trump in a state he won in 2016 and 2024 to retain control of the governor’s office and flip both chambers of the Legislature to earn full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010.
In other races, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s 26-year-old son-in-law Michael Alfonso is trying to win a five-way primary in Duffy’s old seat in the U.S. House. And Democrat Rebecca Cooke is looking to emerge from the primary to force a rematch with Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden in the state’s most hotly contested and narrowly divided congressional district.
Single mother and former line cook Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, has tapped into Democratic anger with the party’s mainstream and Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement.
The 37-year-old known for sprinkling her comments with profanity and leaning into her edgy and sometimes humorous social media profile excited the liberal wing of the party. Hong called for free childcare and healthcare and a moratorium on data center construction. But she also wrestled with her past support for defunding the police, saying at the race’s only debate that she would not support cutting law enforcement funding.
She also drew criticism for past social media posts where she called for canceling Thanksgiving because “we should stop celebrating colonialism" and disparaged Valentine’s Day as “another day capitalism tells you how to show love.”
Hong has since downplayed the posts as her attempt at making jokes.
Hong supporter Dan Jakubek, 44, of Marshall, dismissed concerns over Hong's past statements and said her message of affordability is resonating across generations.
“I've never seen so many young, out of high school, college students revved up for change,” he said.
Establishment Democrats worried that a Hong win would make it easier for Tiffany to win in November, as her platform would be a tougher sell among moderate and independent voters who are critical in the swing state known for razor-thin election margins.
Gov. Tony Evers endorsed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, saying he has the best chance of beating Tiffany in November.
Crowley told supporters at a Sunday night rally that they must come together after the primary to beat Tiffany.
“Our ultimate goal is to make sure we don’t have a MAGA extremist occupying the governor’s office,” Crowley said.
Hong said she would welcome Evers' support after the primary.
“We have to come together to beat Tom Tiffany," she said Monday.
Hong voter Kelly McClurg, 40, of Sun Prairie, rejected concerns that Hong can't beat Tiffany.
“She can win if people let her,” she said, referring to Democrats who raise electability concerns.
Crowley voter Susan Uraneck, of Madison, said she wished that Evers had gotten involved sooner.
“I hope for the best,” she said. “As I say, it is what it is.”
Hong is the first Asian American elected to the state Assembly in 2020. She is looking to become Wisconsin's first female governor and first Asian American governor. Crowley would be the state's first Black governor.
Evers’ decision not to seek a third term created an open race for governor that initially had seven Democrats file to run.
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez appeared to be making a move to consolidate mainstream Democratic support in July, but she dropped out in the middle of the month amid a campaign finance scandal. That led Crowley, who had dropped out a week earlier and endorsed Rodriguez, to get back in the race, this time with Evers' backing.
Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who was seen as an early front-runner after nearly beating Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022, bowed out less than two weeks before the election amid questions about inappropriate behavior.
Alfonso is looking to become the youngest member of Congress by winning Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, a seat previously held for nine years by his father-in-law before Duffy stepped down in 2019.
He secured Trump’s endorsement, who called him a “MAGA warrior,” to separate him from the field that also includes Kevin Hermening, a Trump supporter and longtime Republican operative in the congressional district.
Trump spoke on a telephone rally for Alfonso on Monday night, calling him “a fantastic young guy who’s going to be a star in Washington.” It was the second event Trump hosted for Alfonso in the primary.
Alfonso’s candidacy drew blowback from some longtime Republican leaders in the district who said he was too young and inexperienced for the job, especially compared to Hermening.
Cooke, a former Democratic fundraiser and small business owner, faces a challenge from former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District. Berge ran an underdog, insurgent campaign against Cooke, who was more well-known and better financed.
Cooke narrowly lost to Van Orden in 2024 and also ran in 2022 but lost in the Democratic primary that year.
Van Orden is one of Trump’s biggest supporters but will face a tough reelection bid in a narrowly divided district in a year where Trump’s approval ratings are low in Wisconsin.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong speaks during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong makes a heart gesture to supporters after speaking during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong speaks during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Supporters hold signs during a primary election night watch party for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong speaks during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Voters arrive at Charles Allis Art Museum to cast their ballots on primary Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)
Michael Alfonso, a candidate for U.S. House in Wisconsin's 7th congressional district, speaks during a campaign event, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in New Richmond, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany, left, shakes hands with Bryan Steil, the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district during a campaign event, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Kenosha, WI. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Wisconsin Democratic candidate for Governor Francesca Hong speaks to supporters, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Sun Prairie, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, center, campaigns with Democratic candidate for Governor David Crowley, right, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
