Six days have passed since the deadly earthquake in Colombia, and the painful stories continue to emerge as rescue teams, including the Israeli delegation, search for signs of life beneath the rubble. One of the most heartbreaking stories, which has made headlines around the world, is that of triplet sisters — only one of whom survived.
It happened in Cali, one of the cities hardest hit by the 7.4-magnitude quake, which killed at least 294 people and injured more than 3,900. Ana Maria survived the collapse of the house and found shelter under a wooden table. Neighbors heard her cries and rescued her shortly after the four-story building where she lived collapsed.
Ana Marie's parents also were killed in the earthquake
But her sisters, Isabella and Sofia, who were trapped under a staircase, were not as lucky. They and their parents, Jairo Saavedra, 63, and Victoria Caicedo, 61, were killed in the disaster. Rescuers found the parents embracing in the bedroom of the apartment where they lived. Until the earthquake, the 23-year-old sisters had been inseparable. They studied marketing together at university, spent their final semester in France and worked in the same field in Cali.
Joint rescue delegation from Israel’s Foreign Ministry and Home Front Command operating at destruction sites in Cali
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
“The neighbors say they heard Ana Maria screaming and immediately came to her aid and evacuated her to a clinic,” Carlos Saavedra, Ana Maria’s cousin, told Agence France-Presse. He said she underwent surgery for a pelvic fracture and is recovering. “She is fully conscious, completely lucid and speaking,” he said, adding that she is receiving psychological support. Speaking sadly of the sisters, he said: “They were super cheerful, loved spending a lot of time with their family, loved music, loved salsa.”
On Friday evening, a joint rescue delegation from Israel’s Foreign Ministry and Home Front Command landed in Colombia and immediately began operating at destruction sites in Cali as part of an operation called “Brit Re’im,” or “Covenant of Friends.” The delegation is working at two major destruction sites and helping in the effort to locate and rescue people trapped under the rubble, alongside many local volunteers.
Footage of the moment the earthquake struck in Cali, and t he aftermath
(Video: Reuters)
Israel's Home Front Command forces operating in Cali
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
At the city’s university hospital, the delegation’s engineers are working alongside local professionals. They are providing engineering advice and guidance on clearing the rubble while dealing with a particularly complex challenge: removing debris without shutting down the hospital’s operations. At the same time, delegation teams, commanded by Brig. Gen. Yossi Pinto, began mapping and classifying buildings damaged in the earthquake together with local authorities, with the aim of helping create a quick and accurate assessment and set priorities for continued work in the field.
Ambassador Alon Lavi, the Foreign Ministry representative in the delegation, said: “It is moving to see the Israeli rescuers and engineers working shoulder to shoulder with their Colombian colleagues. From the moment we arrived, we encountered exceptional cooperation and an incredible spirit of volunteerism from the local population, which is fully mobilizing for the rescue efforts. We are proud to be here and to assist the Colombian people at this difficult time.”