Pereira (Colombia) (AFP) - Rescuers, soldiers and volunteers searched through collapsed apartment blocks and office buildings Tuesday across western Colombia, racing to find survivors after the country’s strongest earthquake in a century killed at least 241 people and left many more homeless.

In Pereira and Cali, families slept in parks as aftershocks rattled damaged neighborhoods where entire blocks had been reduced to rubble.

Emergency crews used cranes, dogs and heavy machinery to search ruined buildings while volunteers formed human chains to clear debris by hand, hoping to reach people still trapped beneath collapsed structures.

The 7.4-magnitude quake injured more than 1,670 people, according to a tally by municipal authorities.

It overwhelmed parts of the health system, turning the rescue effort into one of Colombia’s largest disaster responses in years.

“The house came down on top of us. I wasn’t able to get out,” said Beatriz Arcos, who was trapped with her husband and mother beneath their collapsed condominium.

“It took about an hour to get us out.” Arcos said she was hospitalized after a concrete block fell on her back. Her husband and mother were also injured.

In Cali, residents armed with picks, shovels and their bare hands joined firefighters in digging through collapsed buildings.

Rescuers stopped every few minutes to call into the rubble and listen for any response.

“One of the rescuers asked anyone trapped to whistle, and someone whistled back,” volunteer Andres Felipe Mejia said.

Rescuers later pulled a man and a baby from a pancaked building, though the man’s wife remained trapped, he said.

In Pereira, army units and sniffer dogs combed through twisted concrete and exposed steel.

At one site, a rescue squad leader abruptly raised his fist, stopping workers so they could listen for signs of life.

Volunteers formed human chains, passing bricks and chunks of masonry hand-to-hand to clear paths into collapsed structures.

- ‘So much effort’ -

For many families, the desperate search was becoming a vigil.

“My aunt lived there. She’s under the rubble,” said Jorge Gonzalez, standing beside a collapsed building in Pereira.

“I arrived yesterday and I haven’t left, and until they find her body I don’t intend to leave here.”

While some families waited for news of missing relatives, others were grappling with the loss of homes, possessions and livelihoods.

“We lost everything,” said Stella Galvis, fighting back tears after escaping the collapse of her home.

“We survived by a miracle, since I managed to get my little boy out and my partner managed to get out too.”

From the air, neighborhoods in Cali appeared flattened, with piles of grey rubble replacing entire blocks of homes and apartment buildings.

Nearby, cars lay crushed beneath fallen walls and concrete slabs.

On one mound of debris, a young couple climbed over broken masonry searching for belongings.

They recovered a box from inside a child’s bright red bedside table.

Many survivors spent the night outdoors, either because their homes were damaged or because they feared aftershocks.

One park in Pereira was transformed into a makeshift shelter with tents and mattresses.

“We lost everything, but we’re alive,” said 23-year-old John Tabasco, who was camped there with his wife and seven-month-old son.

“We’ve never had to do this before, to depend on someone else to help us. It’s amazing how life can change.”

Others struggled to come to terms with losing homes built over decades.

“You buy a little house with so much effort, spending 40, 50 years struggling to get yourself that house, you finally get it and in just a few days it all goes down the drain,” said 79-year-old Jaime Alzate.

In Cali, part of the Hospital Universitario del Valle collapsed during the quake, forcing doctors to move patients into a parking lot and treat some in the open air.

Three floors housing pediatric, internal medicine and neonatal services ultimately gave way, reducing the hospital’s capacity from 590 to 350 patients.

Yet amid the destruction, many Colombians mobilized to help.

Thousands brought water, food and supplies to affected neighborhoods, while long lines formed outside blood donation centers.

“It’s about wanting to help your community, your city and your country,” said blood donor Ferney Cabrera.

President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a state of emergency and promised rent subsidies for affected families Tuesday during a visit to Pereira.

The United States announced $15.5 million in emergency aid, while messages of support and offers of assistance arrived from around the world.

As aftershocks continued to rattle damaged cities, rescue crews pressed on through the ruins, hoping more voices, taps or whistles might still emerge.