Colombia Limits Earthquake Rescue Aid to Four Internationally-Certified Foreign Teams

As the critical survival window for trapped earthquake victims narrowed, Colombia's government said it would accept foreign search-and-rescue teams only from the United States, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Israel, citing a requirement that teams be certified and recognized by INSARAG, the UN-backed international rescue standards network. Colombia's Disaster Management Director said the country was not seeking additional foreign rescue personnel beyond those teams, requesting supplies instead, as nearly 3,900 people remained listed as missing on the 'Colombia Te Busca' tracing site and the confirmed death toll passed 180.