Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake Strikes Western Colombia, Killing Over 130

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10, 2026, killing at least 132 people and damaging approximately 1,600 buildings, according to reports from Al Jazeera and ctvnews.ca. The quake, the strongest recorded in Colombia during the 21st century per Colombia’s Geological Service, centered in the Choco region and triggered a national emergency declaration by President Abelardo de la Espriella.

Casualties and Regional Impact in Western Colombia

Death tolls varied across initial reports, with 1News and ctvnews.ca citing at least 111 dead, while CNN and Al Jazeera reported the figure had risen to 132. Local authorities provided a regional breakdown of the fatalities to ctvnews.ca, noting that 40 people died in the Risaralda region, where Pereira is located, and 27 died in the Valle del Cauca region, including three children.

Additional confirmed deaths include nine people in Choco, two in the Caldas region, and one 73-year-old in the Antioquia region, according to ctvnews.ca. Authorities have not yet identified the location of 32 other fatalities. President Abelardo de la Espriella stated that at least 87 people were injured and 61 buildings completely collapsed.

The U.S. Geological Survey identified the epicenter in San Jose Del Palmar, a community of roughly 4,800 people in the Choco region, located about 250 miles west of Bogota. While the impact was concentrated in western cities including Cali, Pereira, Quibdo, and Manizales, the tremors were felt as far as Panama and Ecuador, according to ctvnews.ca.

Rescue Operations and Infrastructure Damage

In Cali, the country’s third-largest city, rescue workers and volunteers are searching through the remains of 380 damaged buildings. Local government officials told ctvnews.ca that people remain trapped under debris in several of those structures.

Residents described the immediate aftermath of the quake. Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, told ctvnews.ca he saw plumes of dust rise across the city as buildings fell. Another resident, Alvaro Lopez, reported that his building was left in ruins and the adjacent structure collapsed completely.

President de la Espriella declared a state of emergency to accelerate funding for recovery efforts.

“We aren’t going to leave people alone. They are in our hearts and we are going to tend to people with our full determination,”

President Abelardo de la Espriella via ctvnews.ca

Seismic Context and Logistical Challenges

The earthquake occurred along the “Ring of Fire,” a belt of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean. Colombia’s Geological Service confirmed the event was followed by several aftershocks.

Recovery efforts face significant hurdles in the Choco region. According to ctvnews.ca, this area is one of Colombia’s poorest and is situated in dense jungle, with many locations accessible only by plane or boat. These conditions may complicate the final assessment of the death toll.

The disaster follows a period of high seismic activity in the region. In late June, two back-to-back earthquakes struck neighboring Venezuela, killing more than 6,300 people and destroying hundreds of buildings, according to ctvnews.ca.

In the wake of the August 10 quake, civilians have begun using digital databases to track missing persons, a method used during the Venezuela crisis. One such database already listed more than 1,400 missing people, primarily in Cali and Pereira, per ctvnews.ca.