Colombia earthquake leaves 3,000 missing as rescuers race through rubble

Bogota,UPDATED: Aug 11, 2026 18:52 IST

Search and rescue teams resumed operations on Tuesday across dozens of cities and towns in western Colombia after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday, leaving more than 3,000 people missing and many believed to be trapped under debris. Officials in four badly hit areas said at least 179 people had died, while the federal government, which last updated its estimate on Monday, put the death toll at 111.

About 1,600 buildings were reported damaged or destroyed as soldiers, rescue workers and relatives searched through the rubble, passing heavy pieces of concrete by hand along lines of volunteers. The quake has become the first major test for Colombia's new president, Abelardo De la Espriella, who was sworn in on Friday.

Mayors and governors from Cali, Pereira, Choco and Manizales gave the higher death toll on Tuesday. In Choco, the region around the quake's epicentre, little was immediately known about the full scale of damage. Choco is one of Colombia's poorest and most neglected regions and is often affected by armed groups. Large parts of the region can be reached only by boat, through the jungle or by air.

De la Espriella travelled to Quibdo, the capital of Choco, on Monday night and said he had mobilised "the entire military and police apparatus" for the response, including engineers, rescue workers and search dogs. "Choco will never again be the land of the forgotten," he said. De la Espriella has been a divisive figure because of his pledge to launch an all-out crackdown on criminal groups in the Andean nation.

As the search continued, families used citizen-run websites to post details of missing relatives. Dana Carolina Zamora shared a photograph of her missing 60-year-old uncle, Miguel Angel Zamora, holding his dog. The farmer lived in a rural part of El Cairo, near the quake's epicentre in San Jose Del Palmar. Local authorities said 80 per cent of El Cairo, a town of about 7,000 people, had been damaged. Zamora said her uncle lived in a traditional house made of sticks and mud. "We are afraid. We hope that is not the case, that he is all right and that it is only a communication failure. But we haven't heard anything from him," she said.

The quake also left many residents on edge after back-to-back earthquakes hit neighbouring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 6,300 people. In Pereira, one of the worst-hit cities, Monica Sanchez said a wall inside her factory, which makes work uniforms, collapsed, but she and her 12 workers managed to get out in time. "It was shocking - the city fell down around us," she said.

Pereira's municipal government said at least 58 buildings had collapsed, while Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said at least 40 buildings had fallen. Both cities imposed curfews on Monday night to prevent looting. In Pereira, authorities also banned privately owned vehicles from the roads to clear routes for ambulances, police and rescue workers.

The US State Department said it would provide USD 15.5 million for emergency shelter, food and other assistance, while governments across Latin America also offered support. Pereira Mayor Mauricio Salazar told local media, his voice shaking, "This has been a tragedy for the whole city, for thousands of families. But here we are, and we will continue forward with the hand of God." With thousands still unaccounted for, rescue efforts remained focused on finding survivors and assessing the damage across the affected areas.

With PTI Inputs

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