A 7.4-magnitude Colombia earthquake killed at least 111 people across the country’s western region on Monday, August 10, President Abelardo De La Espriella said after declaring a national emergency in Bogotá.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck 5 kilometres east of San José del Palmar in the Chocó region, about 400 kilometres west of Bogotá, at 7:34 a.m. local time and at a depth of 107 kilometres. USGS listed it among the world’s magnitude-7 or stronger earthquakes of 2026.
President Abelardo De La Espriella of Colombia said rescue teams and government resources had been deployed to reach people trapped beneath collapsed buildings. He later reported 35 deaths and 700 injuries in Valle del Cauca, where Cali is located.
Reuters footage showed emergency crews, police and volunteers clearing debris in Cali and Pereira. Cali firefighter Mauricio Andrade told Reuters that his team had rescued two women and two children and was preparing to reach more survivors.
Caracol Television reported that rescuers pulled a six-month-old girl and her mother from beneath a five-storey building in Cali. Its footage also showed patients being evacuated through hospital windows.
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Officials imposed curfews in Cali, Armenia and Manizales. Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder deployed police and military personnel amid concerns about looting.
While De La Espriella promised 1,000 additional security officers. Colombia’s civil aviation authority suspended operations at six regional airports pending structural inspections.
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The Colombian Geological Service recorded 21 aftershocks by late Monday and warned that further tremors were possible. Reuters reported that authorities described the quake as Colombia’s strongest of the 21st century.
