When the ground shook in western Colombia in August 10, 2026, lives changed in seconds. Homes collapsed, streets filled with dust, and families were left searching for loved ones in the middle of heartbreak and chaos. As of August 19, officials reported around 319 deaths from the magnitude 7.4 earthquake, and rescue and recovery efforts are still continuing.
Among the people working through the rubble was a local citizen volunteer DJ Prilla, who spend days helping search for survivors. “These are the recommendations I offer for an earthquake or aftershock, based on what I saw in the field,” DJ Prilla posted on his Instagram.
He says the experience taught him something he will never forget: in an earthquake, survival can depend on tiny pockets of space left behind when heavy objects fall. He described seeing people alive in what is called “El Triángulo de la Vida,” the triangle of life. He also recommends not to hide in the bathroom during a quake or go down the stairs. “If you are in the seventh floor, you won’t be able to go down the stairs in 20 seconds. But if you are apartment is closer to the roof, go up instead. Then grab anything to hold yourself, in case the building collapses,” he added.
According to his account, when walls collapsed near a sofa, the couch did not always get crushed flat. Instead, it sometimes held up part of the falling debris and created a small empty space beside it, a triangle where a person could survive. The same thing, he said, could happen next to a refrigerator. A wall might fall onto the appliance, but the fridge could take the weight and leave a protected space nearby.
He also described finding cars completely flatten. So do not stay inside your car o hide bellow it during a quake. Instead, position yourself next to it. In some cases, those who were next to the front of a vehicle survived because the engine block helped stop the wall from crushing everything in its path. The same thing with beds. Do not hide under the bed or under a mattress. But try to position yourself next to a refrigerator, kitchen counter, or washing machine. They create a triangle when a wall falls on them. Again and again, he saw the same pattern: a triangle of air, a pocket of survival, a small space where life held on.
“I am not an expert. I just saw many collapsed structures. I’m just making recommendations base on what I saw,” said DJ Prilla, who volunteer to find survivors after the earthquake in Colombia.
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His message is simple, pero poderoso: in an earthquake, every second matters, and the structure around you can make the difference between life and death. Still, emergency experts often remind people to follow official safety guidance and local authorities during a quake, because every building and every situation is different. What this volunteer saw in Colombia was born from real experience, form the dust and the silence after the shaking stopped.
For many families in Colombia, the earthquake was not just a natural disaster. It was a test of endurance, faith, and community. Neighbors helped neighbors. Volunteers showed up. Strangers became rescuers. In the middle of loss, there was also solidaridad.
And that may be the deepest lesson of all: survival is not only about where you stand when the earth moves. It is also about how people come together after the shaking, how they care, and how they keep going, paso a paso, until every possible life is found.
Image Source
- Earthquake survival Tips from a Colombia rescue volunteer: Canva
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