The search for survivors is growing more desperate two days after a massive earthquake took down buildings across western Colombia.

Teams continued to pick through the rubble overnight in the hardest-hit cities of Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdó, as time ticked away for victims to be found — and rescued — alive.

Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours crucial for retrieving survivors, though that threshold can be extended if they have access to food and water.

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Colombia's new president Abelardo de la Espriella said Tuesday that the 7.4 magnitude earthquake had killed at least 181 people and left 2,595 more injured. He said at least 195 remained missing, but civilian-run databases put that number closer to 4,000.

There have been scenes of joy amid the devastation: rescuers pulling a dust-covered baby through a crack in a concrete wall, and onlookers cheering as teams lifted a woman onto a stretcher.

In many areas, the official response to the devastation has been complicated by the ongoing crises of deep poverty and civil warfare that has forced displacement for decades.

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“This earthquake compounds an already severe humanitarian situation, and there is a need for increased support for the humanitarian response,” said Giovanni Rizzo, Colombia director for the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Desperate residents seek news of their loved ones

Families posted information about missing loved ones on citizen-run websites.

Dana Carolina Zamora posted an image of her missing 60-year-old uncle, Miguel Ángel Zamora, cradling his dog. The farmer was living in a rural area of El Cairo, not far from the quake's epicenter in San Jose Del Palmar.

Local authorities said 80% of El Cairo, a town of about 7,000 people, was damaged. Zamora said her uncle lived in a traditional house of sticks and mud.

“We are afraid. We hope that is not the case, that he is all right and that it is only a communication failure. But we haven’t heard anything from him,” Zamora said.

The earthquake left many people unnerved after back-to-back quakes devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 6,300 people.

Mónica Sánchez owns a small company that makes work uniforms. Her home city, Pereira, was one of the worst hit, and a wall inside the factory collapsed. Sánchez and her 12 workers got outside just in time.

“It was shocking — the city fell down around us,” she said.

The initial shock

The quake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time (8:34 a.m. EDT) and was also felt in neighboring Ecuador.

It is “the highest magnitude earthquake registered in Colombia in the last decade,” according to Colombia's Geological Service — and it was followed by two 2.8 and 5.0 magnitude aftershocks.

“Temblores,” small earthquakes, are common in central and western Colombia, but having one above 6.0 magnitude is rare. 

Social media quickly lit up with posts showing early signs of strong shaking and damage near the epicenter, which was about 200 miles southwest of Medellín.

Flights were suspended at the airports of Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago y Buenaventura and Pereira, according to authorities. In Pereira, pieces of the airport ceiling fell on travelers taking shelter.

This is a developing story; please refresh this page frequently for the latest information.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.