"It was an idea I initially had through localisation and telephony, and then I integrated it with a neural network," he said.

The system uses multiple drones equipped with different technologies, including thermal cameras that detect changes in temperature and humidity and tools designed to analyse conditions beneath the surface. The drones work together to identify and mark possible locations under collapsed buildings.

Villarreal said the technology was also adapted as bodies decomposed, with the system trained to identify indicators including bones, tissue, hair and nail residue.

According to Villarreal, his team has made more than 1,900 markings across affected buildings and may have helped locate hundreds of bodies, potentially approaching 2,000 by his own estimate.

Once a possible location is identified, volunteers and professional rescuers remove the rubble to verify the finding. "We have recovered family members and that has become a hope for many," Villarreal said, adding that the work is carried out voluntarily and families are not charged.

The team conducts much of its work at night, when reduced noise and interference are said to make some detection efforts easier.

Beens said he began training Tsunami after developing a close bond with the dog following the death of his previous operational canine. "He is my companion, he is part of my life. Tsunami changed my world ," Beens said.

Tsunami has also taken part in international rescue missions. In 2023, he was deployed to Syria and Turkey following devastating earthquakes , where Beens said he helped locate nine people alive beneath the rubble.

The dog was later deployed following this year's earthquakes in Venezuela, where rapid response helped search teams locate 26 people . "Forty minutes after the earthquake we were already entering the rubble," Beens said.

The trainer credited Tsunami's abilities partly to the intelligence and problem-solving skills of Border Collies.

Beens now plans to retire Tsunami from rescue operations as two Border Collie puppies prepare to join the K-SAR ECID team.

President Keiko Fujimori led the drill from Lima's Plaza de Armas, presenting a hypothetical assessment of nearly 11,000 deaths, more than 165,000 injuries and around 2.2 million displaced people .

"If this had been real, this would be the report I would have to give," Fujimori said, stressing that the figures were part of the simulation and calling for continued disaster preparedness.

INDECI official Catherine Palacios said the exercise also marked 19 years since the 2007 Pisco earthquake. Fire Brigade official Marcos Pajuelo said the drill was aimed at testing emergency preparedness amid concerns over the prolonged period without a major earthquake along Peru's central coast.

According to the Geophysical Institute of Peru, the area has not experienced a large-magnitude earthquake since 1746, while seismic energy continues to accumulate due to the convergence of the Nazca and South American tectonic plates.

The earthquake struck shortly before 5 a.m. local time at a depth of about 15 kilometres, according to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

Three strong aftershocks followed within half an hour, measuring magnitudes 5.9, 5.6 and 6.1.

Around the port town of Maumere, rescuers recovered 20 bodies and found six people injured, while two remained trapped under rubble, Fathur Rahman, head of the city’s rescue agency, told Reuters.

Authorities had yet to reach Nagekeo regency, the area closest to the epicentre, as disrupted communications and outages complicated efforts to determine the full extent of the destruction.

At Maumere port, video showed chunks of concrete falling from a terminal building as passengers waited to board an inter-island ferry. Some people were thrown into the sea when a gangway collapsed.

East Nusa Tenggara Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena said some victims were killed in their sleep by collapsing rubble.

BMKG issued a tsunami warning for affected coastlines, prompting residents to move inland and seek higher ground. The warning was lifted about three hours later after no significant rise in sea level was detected.

BNPB said around 2,000 people had evacuated or relocated on their own. Many residents remained outdoors as repeated aftershocks left them afraid to return home.

One earthquake after another

Saturday’s earthquake follows a series of powerful tremors recorded around the world over the past two months.

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia on 10 August, while a magnitude 6.8 tremor hit Japan ’s Kyushu region on 28 July, according to data from the British Geological Survey.

Mexico’s Chiapas region was struck by a 7.3-magnitude earthquake on 17 July, while Venezuela recorded two major tremors, measuring magnitudes 7.5 and 7.2, on 24 June.

Indonesia itself recorded a magnitude 6.7 earthquake in Sulawesi on 16 June.

The archipelago sits along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a belt of intense seismic and volcanic activity, making it one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries.

"To clarify, the Secretariat of National Defence rescue brigade was not approved by the Colombian Government ," Sheinbaum said.

"It is not a conflict ; there is no problem," she added, explaining that Colombia had requested food and medicines but required certification for rescue teams.

Mexico is continuing to send humanitarian aid aboard Hercules aircraft, including food and medical supplies requested by Colombian authorities. Sheinbaum said the military rescue brigade remained ready to deploy if authorised, noting that its members had participated in rescue operations in 98 countries.

According to the Mexican government, the brigade comprises 255 personnel from the Army, Air Force and National Guard, along with 20 K-9 teams.

Colombia has limited the entry of international rescue teams, although Mexico's Topos Azteca and two US-provided teams have been authorised. The earthquake has killed at least 265 people, injured 3,494 and left 496 missing, according to the latest figures. More than 25,000 families have been affected.

Mexico has also sent humanitarian aid to Colombia following the earthquake, with the government saying 58.5 tonnes of food, water and medicines would be delivered between 12 and 14 August. Juan Carlos Valencia, president of the Risaralda Departmental Assembly, thanked Mexico for its support. Meanwhile, queues continue at registration points as authorities assess damaged properties and document the losses of affected families.

The president said the emergency would allow the government to establish a "Miracle Fund" to channel domestic and international resources towards rebuilding hospitals, schools , homes, roads and airports damaged by the earthquake.

"I have decided to make use of the economic emergency, a mechanism provided for by our Constitution so that we can face this crisis as appropriate," he said.

De la Espriella said the disaster had struck at a particularly difficult time for Colombia's public finances, citing the country's high level of debt .

The government is also preparing temporary assistance for those affected, including rent subsidies, tax and financial relief, support with utility bills and aid for small businesses and traders.

Several protesters voiced strong accusations against the foreign missions. One demonstrator claimed that those involved in the rescue efforts were not genuine humanitarian actors but part of a broader agenda tied to geopolitical interests.

"We are paying tribute to all the fallen neighbours who could not get out on June 24, placing a light for them so they can climb a step and so that God may keep them in a very beautiful place up there," said survivor Adriana Velasco.

Velasco reflected on how the disaster changed her life in a matter of seconds.

"I really have no words; there are no words to describe how one feels after having had everything and in 39 seconds for everything to end and for you to have nothing left," she told Viory.

Describing the emotional impact of the tragedy, she added, "You see sadness, a deep pain, and at least my soul torn apart and shattered to pieces." "They are from the neighbourhood association here in our building, OPP 33C. And they organised this mass for those who died in our building," survivor Yordan Pina said.

One month after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, official figures show more than 5,300 people have died, 16,740 have been injured, 6,462 rescued, 17,907 displaced, and 190 buildings have collapsed nationwide.

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez led the handover ceremony on Monday at the Ciudad Tiuna housing complex in Caracas, where families affected by the twin earthquakes moved into renovated apartments.

The homes form part of the government's reconstruction plan launched after the earthquakes damaged communities across the country.

Rodriguez said the authorities planned to deliver 4,000 homes before the end of the year.

"More than 240 families are receiving a home, a fully equipped home, and from here, from the month of July to the month of December, we will be delivering 4,000 homes," she said.

She said the programme would also include the construction of new housing developments.

"We are also going to incorporate new homes that are going to be built, and the General Staff is already reviewing the land with the Presidential Commission for Enabling, so together we are going to address these needs," she added.

Rodriguez also said the government was identifying unfinished residential buildings that could be completed and handed over to families.

"We have also inspected buildings that still needed to be completed, not only in the capital, in Caracas, but in other states of the country. We are going to go much further so that next year we will already reach a figure greater than 10,000 homes recovered from buildings that had not been completed," Rodriguez said.

She reassured families still living in temporary shelters that permanent housing would be provided.

"Those who are in temporary camps must have the certainty that they will soon have a home, they will soon have a house, despite how terrible what this natural tragedy caused was," she said.

According to the latest official figures released by the Venezuelan government, the earthquakes killed 5,278 people, injured 16,740, left 23,583 people in temporary camps and caused the collapse of 190 buildings.