Colombia declares three days of mourning after deadly earthquake

Hundreds are dead as rescuers race to find survivors of the magnitude 7.4 quake.Colombia has declared three days of national mourning after a powerful earthquake killed more than 200 people as rescue crews race against time to find people trapped beneath the rubble.The government said on Wednesday that flags would be lowered to half-staff at official buildings and Colombian embassies around the world “in honour of all the dead”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Search for survivors underway in Colombia’s earthquake aftermathlist 2 of 4Colombia scrambles to find survivors after deadly earthquakelist 3 of 4On the ground in Cali, Colombia’s worst-hit city after the quakelist 4 of 4Woman rescued after 36 hours under rubble in Colombiaend of listMonday’s magnitude 7.4 earthquake was the strongest to hit the country in a century. It flattened buildings and damaged roads across western Colombia. More than 100 aftershocks had been recorded by Tuesday afternoon.The disaster is also an early test for President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office just three days before the earthquake. The first-time president came to power after a divisive election and is now facing the first major crisis of his presidency.Government figures put the number of injured at 2,595 and the number officially missing at 195 although civilian-run databases suggested the number of people unaccounted for could be closer to 4,000.The search for survivors has become increasingly urgent as the disaster enters its third day. Aid agencies said the first 48 to 72 hours are generally the most critical for finding people alive beneath collapsed buildings although people can survive longer if they have access to water and food.Crews worked through the night in some of the hardest-hit cities, including Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo. In Pereira and Cali, rescuers used cranes, search dogs and heavy machinery while volunteers formed human chains to clear debris by hand.