BOGOTA, Colombia — Search and rescue operations resumed Tuesday across dozens of cities and towns in western Colombia, a day after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake left more than 3,000 people missing, many of them feared trapped beneath collapsed buildings.

Mayors and governors from Cali, Pereira, Choco, and Manizales reported Tuesday that at least 179 people had died across those four areas. The federal government, which last updated its death toll on Monday, has confirmed at least 111 fatalities.

Around 1,600 buildings were reported damaged or destroyed. Soldiers, rescue teams, and relatives combed through rubble, forming human chains to pass large chunks of concrete by hand.

Choco, the region surrounding the earthquake's epicenter, is among Colombia's poorest and most neglected areas, frequently plagued by conflict between armed groups. Much of Choco is reachable only by boat, through dense jungle, or by air, leaving the full extent of the destruction largely unknown. The region sits along Colombia's Pacific coast, part of the seismically volatile Pacific Ring of Fire, where the Nazca and South American tectonic plates converge. Colombia has a long history of catastrophic earthquakes, including a 6.2-magnitude quake that devastated the city of Armenia in 1999, killing nearly 1,000 people.

President Abelardo De la Espriella, who was sworn in just last Friday, traveled to Choco's capital, Quibdo, on Monday night. He announced the mobilization of "the entire military and police apparatus," including engineers, rescue workers, and search dogs.

"Choco will never again be the 'land of the forgotten,'" he said.

The disaster marks the first major crisis for De la Espriella, a polarizing figure who has pledged an all-out crackdown on criminal organizations in the Andean nation.

Families desperate for news of missing relatives turned to citizen-run websites to share photos and information.

Dana Carolina Zamora posted a photograph of her missing 60-year-old uncle, Miguel Ángel Zamora, holding his dog. The farmer lived in a rural area of El Cairo, near the epicenter in San Jose Del Palmar. Local authorities said 80% of El Cairo — a town of approximately 7,000 residents — sustained damage. Zamora said her uncle's home was a traditional structure made 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 has heightened anxiety across the region following back-to-back quakes that devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 6,300 people.

In Pereira, one of the hardest-hit cities, Mónica Sánchez owns a small work-uniform manufacturing company. A wall inside her factory collapsed, though she and her 12 employees managed to escape in time.

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

Pereira's municipal government reported at least 58 collapsed buildings, while Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder confirmed at least 40 building collapses in his city. Both cities imposed curfews Monday night to deter looting. Pereira additionally banned private vehicles from circulating to keep roads clear for ambulances, police, and rescue teams.

The U.S. State Department announced it would provide $15.5 million for emergency shelter, food, and other humanitarian assistance. Governments across Latin America have also offered support.

"This has been a tragedy for the whole city, for thousands of families," Pereira Mayor Mauricio Salazar told local media, his voice breaking. "But here we are, and we will continue forward with the hand of God."