UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday expressed solidarity with Colombia, which was hit by a magnitude-7.5 earthquake on Monday, and extended his condolences to the families of the victims.

In a post on X, Guterres wished all those affected a speedy recovery, as reports continued to emerge of collapsed homes and other significant damage.

"The UN is in close contact with the Colombian authorities and is supporting the government-led response as requested," he added.

The death toll from the earthquake in western Colombia has risen to 188, with 1,677 others injured, the Colombian Association of Capital Cities, or Asocapitales, said Tuesday.

Asocapitales said it has launched a system to report and search for missing persons as rescue work and damage assessment continues.

The quake tore through the country's coffee-growing heartland, leaving apartment blocks, homes, schools and health centers cracked, leaning or flattened.

Thousands of people were left homeless as the earthquake brought down apartment complexes and left deep cracks in homes.

Reuters reported that rescue crews on Tuesday dug through mountains of rubble in western Colombia, shouting for quiet so they could ‌listen for survivors still trapped.

On Tuesday afternoon, three airports remained closed and many areas, especially those close to the epicenter, still lacked access to gas, water and electricity, while some major highways remained closed off.

With communications still patchy in some of the worst-hit areas, government officials said it could take days to ascertain the full extent of the damage and the final death toll.

The government, which ‌announced immediate austerity measures as it came into power, is currently preparing to revise a more than $180 billion budget.

The National Coffee Federation was working on the ground with families to assess damage to farms and rural infrastructure, its chief German Bahamon said on social media.

(With input from agencies)