Brother of man trapped under rubble in Colombian quake clings on to hope
Efraín Gallego does not lose faith that his brother will be found alive, although when he speaks about him, trapped beneath the rubble of a building, his voice breaks and he swallows hard until he regains his composure.
"You feel anguish. Every time there is an alert about someone being alive, hope is reborn that we will find him," Gallego tells me emotionally.
His 80-year-old brother was buried along with his wife when the Torres del Limonar building collapsed in Cali.
This city in south-western Colombia is one of the hardest hit by the earthquake.
The building has become a symbol of the tragedy in the country's third most populous city.
Cali has more than two million inhabitants. According to Mayor Alejandro Éder, there are at least 95 dead.
Under the scorching heat on Tuesday morning, Torres del Limonar is a shattered mountain of rubble, with mattresses, furniture, and belongings peeking out from the concrete.
On top of the remains are rescuers and volunteers: "Silence! We are firefighters. If you can hear us, shout or make any noise."
The phrase is repeated every time the teams dig deep enough to believe they may be close to a survivor.
These are the moments when Gallego regains hope, but the seconds pass and no answers come from below.
Velasco offers hope.
"In the past I have participated in operations where we have pulled out survivors after seven days trapped."
"Those who are meant to survive, survive. Nothing is written," he adds.
"I wanted to help from the very beginning."
Amid his anguish, Gallego wants to acknowledge the work of ordinary citizens.
"We must mention all the people who have come to help with water, supplies, tools, equipment; there is a lot of collaboration. Volunteers are plentiful," he says.
Alejandro Mahecha, 19, is one of those volunteers. He decided to come after spending the night safely with his family and overcoming the initial shock.
"I wanted to help from the very beginning. The earthquake affected my city and the homes of people I know. I came to this site because there has been a lot of talk about this building and the need for help here," the young man explains.
Read the full story at BBC ↗
BBC Mundo has gone to the site of Torres del Limonar, a collapsed building in Cali where rescue workers fight to free survivors
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
Efraín Gallego does not lose faith that his brother will be found alive, although when he speaks about him, trapped beneath the rubble of a building, his voice breaks and he swallows hard until he regains his composure.
"You feel anguish. Every time there is an alert about someone being alive, hope is reborn that we will find him," Gallego tells me emotionally.
His 80-year-old brother was buried along with his wife when the Torres del Limonar building collapsed in Cali.
This city in south-western Colombia is one of the hardest hit by the earthquake.
The building has become a symbol of the tragedy in the country's third most populous city.
Cali has more than two million inhabitants. According to Mayor Alejandro Éder, there are at least 95 dead.
Under the scorching heat on Tuesday morning, Torres del Limonar is a shattered mountain of rubble, with mattresses, furniture, and belongings peeking out from the concrete.
On top of the remains are rescuers and volunteers: "Silence! We are firefighters. If you can hear us, shout or make any noise."
The phrase is repeated every time the teams dig deep enough to believe they may be close to a survivor.
These are the moments when Gallego regains hope, but the seconds pass and no answers come from below.
Velasco offers hope.
"In the past I have participated in operations where we have pulled out survivors after seven days trapped."
"Those who are meant to survive, survive. Nothing is written," he adds.
"I wanted to help from the very beginning."
Amid his anguish, Gallego wants to acknowledge the work of ordinary citizens.
"We must mention all the people who have come to help with water, supplies, tools, equipment; there is a lot of collaboration. Volunteers are plentiful," he says.
Alejandro Mahecha, 19, is one of those volunteers. He decided to come after spending the night safely with his family and overcoming the initial shock.
"I wanted to help from the very beginning. The earthquake affected my city and the homes of people I know. I came to this site because there has been a lot of talk about this building and the need for help here," the young man explains.
Read the full story at BBC ↗
Efraín Gallego does not lose faith that his brother will be found alive, although when he speaks about him, trapped beneath the rubble of a building, his voice breaks and he swallows hard until he regains his composure.
"You feel anguish. Every time there is an alert about someone being alive, hope is reborn that we will find him," Gallego tells me emotionally.
His 80-year-old brother was buried along with his wife when the Torres del Limonar building collapsed in Cali.
This city in south-western Colombia is one of the hardest hit by the earthquake.
The building has become a symbol of the tragedy in the country's third most populous city.
Cali has more than two million inhabitants. According to Mayor Alejandro Éder, there are at least 95 dead.
Under the scorching heat on Tuesday morning, Torres del Limonar is a shattered mountain of rubble, with mattresses, furniture, and belongings peeking out from the concrete.
On top of the remains are rescuers and volunteers: "Silence! We are firefighters. If you can hear us, shout or make any noise."
The phrase is repeated every time the teams dig deep enough to believe they may be close to a survivor.
These are the moments when Gallego regains hope, but the seconds pass and no answers come from below.
Velasco offers hope.
"In the past I have participated in operations where we have pulled out survivors after seven days trapped."
"Those who are meant to survive, survive. Nothing is written," he adds.
"I wanted to help from the very beginning."
Amid his anguish, Gallego wants to acknowledge the work of ordinary citizens.
"We must mention all the people who have come to help with water, supplies, tools, equipment; there is a lot of collaboration. Volunteers are plentiful," he says.
Alejandro Mahecha, 19, is one of those volunteers. He decided to come after spending the night safely with his family and overcoming the initial shock.
"I wanted to help from the very beginning. The earthquake affected my city and the homes of people I know. I came to this site because there has been a lot of talk about this building and the need for help here," the young man explains.
Read the full story at BBC ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- BBC Mundo has gone to the site of Torres del Limonar, a collapsed building in Cali where rescue workers fight to free survivors