Colombia quake kills 47 as rescuers race to free people in collapsed buildings

Bogota,UPDATED: Aug 10, 2026 22:46 IST

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 47 people, trapping residents under debris from collapsed buildings and forcing evacuations as far away as the capital, Bogota. The quake was felt across several cities in the west of the country and also in neighbouring Ecuador and Panama, where only minimal damage was reported.

Authorities said the epicentre was in San Jose del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in the Choco region, around 250 miles west of Bogota. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of 66 miles. Colombia's Geological Service said it was the highest-magnitude earthquake recorded in the country in the last decade and that it was followed by aftershocks of 2.8 and 4.8 magnitude.

Local officials said 18 people were killed in Pereira, two in Manizales and 27 in Valle del Cauca department, where Colombia's third-largest city, Cali, is located. The governor said at least three of those killed in Valle del Cauca were children. Colombia's interior minister said more than 20 municipalities across the country had been hit, while residents and search teams searched through the rubble of collapsed buildings amid fears of further aftershocks.

In Cali, 64-year-old taxi driver Jorge Moncayo said he saw plumes of dust rising across the city as buildings came down. Residents and rescue workers continued searching the rubble for survivors. "My entire house shook. I've never lived through such a powerful earthquake," he said. "We're thanking God we're alive." Mayor Alejandro Eder said residents were trapped in at least 19 collapsed buildings in the city of 2 million people.

In Pereira, photos and videos shared by local media showed pieces of an airport ceiling falling on travellers who had taken shelter, with people screaming and running through rubble in panic. Mayor Mauricio Salazar told a local radio station that at least 18 people had died and that many more were trapped under "a massive quantity of collapsed buildings". In nearby Manizales, one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed onto the nave. Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas said two people had died in the city and urged residents to remain outside in case of aftershocks. Authorities in Choco, the region at the epicentre, reported injuries and damage in the capital but gave few details. Flights were suspended at the airports in Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura and Pereira.

The quake came as many in Colombia were already unsettled after two back-to-back earthquakes devastated neighbouring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 5,000 people. At the same time that buildings fell in Colombia, families in Venezuela were still searching the ruins for the bodies of loved ones. Small earthquakes, or "temblores", are common in central and western Colombia, but quakes above magnitude 6.0 are rare. In 1999, a 6.2-magnitude quake near Armenia killed more than 1,100 people.

President Abelardo de la Espriella, who was sworn in over the weekend, said on Monday that he had personally taken charge of the government's response to the emergency in San Jose del Palmar. "You are not alone. The state is present and taking action," he said. The response is the first major challenge of his presidency. Messages of support came from leaders across the Americas, including Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador and the United States, and several countries offered aid. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X: "The Trump administration is closely monitoring the large earthquake that struck Colombia and stands ready to support the people of Colombia." Overall, the quake left a trail of deaths, injuries and destruction across western Colombia, with rescue efforts under way and authorities warning of possible further aftershocks.

With PTI Inputs

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