Pereira, Colombia - Colombia's earthquake rescue efforts entered what the "final phase" on Wednesday, as rescuers searched for signs of life beneath collapsed buildings and the critical first 72-hours came to an end.

The magnitude 7.4 quake, the strongest to hit Colombia this century, has killed 265 people, injured more than 3,500, and left almost 500 missing, according to local authorities.

In the city of Pereira, crews focused on a collapsed bakery where they believe a street vendor trapped since Monday's earthquake may still be alive beneath the rubble.

Using equipment that detects vibrations, rescuers said they had picked up possible signs of life from Pablo Loaiza, prompting anxious relatives to gather outside the wreckage.

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"They tell us it could be him," said 16-year-old Sara Loaiza, his niece. "My heart is about to burst out of my chest."

Relatives said the trapped man appeared to respond when rescuers asked him to knock twice, then three times from beneath the rubble, drawing applause from those gathered at the scene.

Crews are approaching 72 hours since the quake, a period when survivors are considered likeliest to be found alive beneath collapsed buildings.

"We're entering the final phase," Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said Wednesday. "That doesn't mean there won't be survivors afterward, but it is more difficult."

In Cali and Pereira, emergency crews prepared to work through a third night with their bare hands, cranes, and sniffer dogs, stopping not to rest, but to listen for signs of life.

"Every half hour we make everyone be quiet to see if we can find people alive," volunteer rescuer Johana Sanchez told the AFP. "So far, three people have been pulled out alive and three dead."