Hopes of finding more survivors of the powerful earthquake that rocked Colombia early this week were fading on Thursday as rescue workers narrowed their searches, while families in the worst-hit areas waited for news of missing relatives.

In Cali, the country¡¯s third-largest city, crews shifted from a search-and-rescue effort to debris removal at most sites, a sign ?the disaster response was entering a grimmer phase after the crucial first 72 hours.

¡°Unfortunately, we are reaching a point where the likelihood of finding survivors ?is dwindling, ?but our mission is to keep searching and find all those people who are reported missing,¡± David Tamayo, head of ?Colombia¡¯s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management, said on Thursday evening.