A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, killing more than 100 people according to reports on the event date as buildings collapsed across several cities. The casualty count rose as rescuers continued searching damaged structures.
Colombia’s geological service placed the epicentre near San José del Palmar, a mountainous municipality in Chocó department. The earthquake began at 7:34 a.m. local time and originated about 103 kilometres below the surface. Shaking was felt across much of western Colombia and as far away as Panama, Ecuador and Venezuela.
Initial reporting placed the death toll above 100. In an update the following day, the BBC reported that the toll had risen to at least 169, with more than 900 injured. Officials warned that people remained trapped and that the figure could increase. That later accounting attributed 85 deaths to Cali and 66 to Pereira, making the two cities the centre of the disaster despite their distance from the epicentre.
Urban damage spreads across the west
Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, suffered extensive structural damage. Local officials reported around 30 collapsed buildings and urged residents to leave structures showing major cracks. Pereira was also heavily affected; video verified by the BBC showed a building collapsing near the city’s Plaza Bolívar, filling the central square with debris and dust.
Fatalities and damaged structures were also reported in Manizales, Armenia and Buenaventura. Regional airports in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura sustained damage, complicating movement through the affected area. In Bogotá, trees and traffic lights shook and some buildings developed cracks, but there were no immediate reports of serious infrastructure damage.
San José del Palmar presented a striking contrast. Although roads leading into and out of the municipality were damaged, its mayor reported no deaths or injuries there. Much of the loss occurred in larger population centres where millions of people live in dense urban districts.
Witnesses described prolonged, violent movement. In Cali, a traveller said he and his partner ran outside in their nightclothes after being awakened, while hotel walls showed cracks and lost plaster. In Manizales, residents reported falling bricks, broken glass and people screaming. One local meteorologist said strict earthquake-resistant construction rules helped his building withstand the shaking.
National disaster response declared
President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national disaster and established a unified command centre to coordinate rescue operations. The declaration allowed the government to redirect resources more quickly. The earthquake confronted the newly inaugurated president with a major emergency only days after he took office.
International offers of support followed. The United States said it was monitoring the situation and ready to help, El Salvador offered rescue personnel and equipment, and the European Union deployed its Copernicus satellite capability to support the response.
The BBC, citing the US Geological Survey, said about 1.5 million people experienced strong shaking. The USGS said deep earthquakes are usually less dangerous than shallow ones but can still damage buildings and may produce fewer, stronger aftershocks. Colombia’s location at the meeting point of tectonic plates makes earthquakes frequent, though most are too weak to be felt.
The country has experienced devastating earthquakes before. A magnitude 6.2 event near Armenia killed close to 1,000 people in 1999, while a 1983 earthquake in Popayán caused hundreds of deaths. The August 10 disaster again demonstrated how a powerful quake can transfer its greatest human cost away from a remote epicentre and into populous cities.
As of the later update, the confirmed toll was 169 dead and more than 900 injured. The discovery-stage figure of 288 deaths was not supported by the supplied reporting and is therefore not used here.
