Pereira, Colombia - Aug 11, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. SOUDBITE (English) Michelle Begue, China Global Television Network (CGTN) correspondent:
"I'm in Pereira, a city that has been very much affected by this earthquake. Here we've had the biggest casualties right in the beginning, in the first 24 hours. We drove about six hours from the city of Medellin to get here. We got here about midnight. We've been here for about two hours, spoken to many different citizens, women, men who are from this city who are trying to help. And basically, we have a lot of people collaborating. A business is donating the heavy machinery. We have police, Colombian police officers who are helping, trying to coordinate and tell them when to go in and when to come out. Volunteers, common citizens who are going in with buckets and trying to remove rubble. And basically, since it is the first 24 hours, we haven't even gotten to the first 24 hours because this earthquake was at 07:30, local time. It's vital to try to find survivors, and they do believe that there may be a mother and a child under this rubble. We're told that this was -- we've got to move a little bit -- so basically, they're moving this rubble in order to get to this area. What we know is that this was a five-story [building], possibly a hotel is what they've said. There was a pharmacy and a bakery, as well. And five people were rescued earlier -- we're going to move a little bit over here -- earlier today, half a block away. So there's a lot of hope that people can still find survivors. We've seen scenes like in Venezuela where common citizens are just here to help. We interviewed a mother and a daughter who came, brought food, were moved by this show of citizenship, of brotherhood, and came back with more food. And they say they hope to continue doing this as we move [along]."

Rescue efforts are continuing throughout the night in a desperate search for survivors in Colombia's Pereira, one of the cities hit hardest by the powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake that struck the west of the country on Monday morning, according to an on-site China Global Television Network (CGTN) correspondent.

Local authorities reported that the disaster has claimed at least 132 lives and left over 570 injured, with dozens feared trapped as recovery teams are working against the clock.

According to the Colombian Geological Service, the quake struck at 07:34 local time, with its epicenter near San Jose del Palmar in the Choco department. A total of 32 cities nationwide have suffered serious damage, while five departmental capitals, including Pereira, remain under red alert.

CGTN's Michelle Begue reached a hard-hit district in Pereira along with her camera crew at around midnight local time.

Reporting from the site of a collapsed building, she described the sense of urgency at the scene, stressing that emergency workers are in a rush to rescue people within this critical first 24-hour window, while also noting the solidarity on display as people unite in the face of disaster.

"We've been here for about two hours, spoken to many different citizens, women, men who are from this city who are trying to help. And basically, we have a lot of people collaborating. A business is donating the heavy machinery. We have police, Colombian police officers who are helping, trying to coordinate and tell them when to go in and when to come out. Volunteers, common citizens who are going in with buckets and trying to remove rubble," she said.

"It's vital to try to find survivors, and they do believe that there may be a mother and a child under this rubble. What we know is that this was a five-story [building], possibly a hotel is what they've said. There was a pharmacy and a bakery, as well. And five people were rescued earlier today, half a block away. So there's a lot of hope that people can still find survivors," said Begue.

Despite the devastation on the ground, Begue said hope still remains as rescuers work relentlessly to get through the rubble and locate possible survivors.

"There's a lot of hope that people can still find survivors. We've seen scenes like in Venezuela where common citizens are just here to help. We interviewed a mother and a daughter who came, brought food, were moved by this show of citizenship, of brotherhood, and came back with more food. And they say they hope to continue doing this as we move [along]," she said.

While rescuers are determined, authorities warn that the toll may continue to rise as search and rescue work continues in many badly-hit neighborhoods. Local officials and volunteers remain on high alert, bracing for aftershocks and are supporting one another through the unfolding crisis.