Emergency responders were mobilized almost immediately, but the scale of the disaster quickly overwhelmed local resources. Reports from some of the hardest-hit communities described apartment buildings reduced to piles of concrete, damaged hospitals receiving waves of injured residents, and rescue workers searching tirelessly for people believed to be trapped beneath collapsed structures. Every passing hour became increasingly important as specialized rescue teams raced against time, listening carefully for voices beneath the rubble and working cautiously to avoid triggering further collapses.