A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, collapsing buildings in major cities including Cali and Pereira. Authorities reported dozens of fatalities and widespread structural damage as emergency responders searched through debris. The tremor, centered in the department of Chocó, shook the region early Monday and was felt across neighboring countries.
Casualties and Structural Collapse Across Western Departments
The seismic event struck at 7:34am local time (13.34 BST) on Monday, with its epicentre in the western department of Chocó, near San Jose del Palmar, close to the El Cairo region, at a depth reported by the US and Colombian geological surveys and other services ranging from 66 miles to a depth of 79km and one hundred kilometres according to experts. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre recorded the tremor at 6.8 magnitude, while other estimates indicated a higher force. The tremor triggered immediate panic, sending residents into the streets and causing severe damage to infrastructure across multiple regions, while buildings in Bogotá were evacuated and families fled homes during breakfast. Videos on social media captured residents running as buildings collapsed, people taking cover in pyjamas on the streets, and citizens searching for victims in the wreckage of a four-storey hotel in Cali. The earthquake also caused damage across Colombia, including in Cali where tiles and rubble landed on a car.
Government officials and newspaper reports from El Espectador cited authorities stating that at least 72 people had been killed, while other confirmations noted at least 18 deaths in Pereira, 27 deaths in the Valle del Cauca department, and at least two deaths in Manizales, the capital of Caldas. The governor of Chocó, Nubia Carolina Córdoba (also referred to as Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi), reported injuries and severe damage to buildings in the capital, Quibdó, where several people were believed trapped underneath huge concrete blocks. In Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, at least 20 buildings collapsed, trapping individuals beneath rubble as emergency crews rushed to map the destruction, protect lives, and initiate rescue operations.
City-by-City Devastation and Evacuations
The impact rippled through urban centers far from the epicenter. In Manizales, the capital of Caldas, the mayor, Jorge Eduardo Rojas Giraldo, stated that at least 12 buildings and 20 homes had been partially or completely destroyed, alongside damage to the cathedral of Manizales. Evacuations were also reported in the coastal city of Medellin, while local TV and newspaper coverage from El Tiempo and El Espectador captured buildings giving way, including part of the San José church in Pereira collapsing as palm trees around it shook.
Jorge Eduardo Rojas Giraldo, Mayor of Manizales, urged residents not to go back into the buildings yet, acknowledging that it was not easy but asking them to stay outside for a little while at least because there could be an aftershock.
In Pereira, footage captured parts of the San José church giving way as surrounding palm trees shook violently. Meanwhile, in the Chocó departmental capital of Quibdó, governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba reported multiple injuries and severe damage to buildings, with several residents trapped under heavy concrete blocks. Local TV showed collapsed buildings and major damage to a regional airport, alongside reports that the earthquake resulted in the collapse of about 20 buildings and caused damage to six airports, leading to a temporary suspension of air navigation in affected areas.
Regional Tremors and International Response
The seismic force extended well beyond Colombia’s borders, with tremors felt by residents in Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela, including in Ecuador’s capital Quito. The disaster arrived on the heels of a separate seismic catastrophe in neighboring Venezuela, where deadly double earthquakes on 24 June—more than a month and less than two months prior—devastated the country and killed more than 5,000 people, destroying hundreds of buildings.
Colombia’s new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, flew to the capital, Bogotá, following the disaster.
Abelardo de la Espriella, President of Colombia, stated that Colombia had a president whose heart ached for his people and who would do everything in his power to help them in the most difficult moments.
As rescue operations proceed across Chocó, Valle del Cauca, and Risaralda, local leaders continue to urge caution. Officials emphasized that structural assessments remain ongoing as emergency teams work to reach individuals still unaccounted for beneath collapsed infrastructure, while mayors such as Alejandro Eder in Cali urged citizens to check their buildings for structural damage and leave if they see very large cracks.
