A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake tore through western Colombia on Monday. It has left at least thirty people dead and triggered widespread damage across several cities, according to local officials.
The quake’s epicentre was located in San José del Palmar, in the northwestern department of Chocó, roughly 280 kilometres west of the capital, Bogotá. Tremors were felt strongly enough in Bogotá to send residents into the streets as alarms sounded, though the capital largely escaped serious structural damage.
The heaviest toll has come from Pereira, in the Risaralda department, where eighteen deaths have been recorded. Two more deaths were confirmed in Manizales, four in the Chocó department, one in the regional capital of Quibdó, three in Calima El Darién, one in Zarzal, and one in Támesis, in the Antioquia department.
Among the victims in Valle del Cauca were three children, killed when a wall collapsed in Calima El Darién. Governor Dilian Francisca Toro described the situation there as serious, noting further collapses at the Valle University Hospital, where she was posted following the quake.
In Antioquia, officials confirmed a seventy-three-year-old man died in Támesis after being struck by a falling rock, a loss Governor Andrés Julián Rendón mourned publicly, extending condolences to the man’s family and community.
The earthquake also disrupted air travel across the country. Video captured at Pereira’s Matecaña International Airport showed travellers taking cover as debris fell around them. Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority confirmed damage at airports in five other cities, including Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura, forcing a suspension of flight operations. Flights were also suspended at Cali’s Alfonso Bonilla Aragón Airport.
Footage from Pereira showed a four-storey building collapsing onto a street lined with fruit stalls, with people seen running from the debris.
The tremor was also felt across the border in Venezuela, particularly in the states of Táchira and Zulia, which are still recovering from a pair of earthquakes in June. Táchira Governor Freddy Bernal said no serious damage or casualties had been reported there so far, though civil protection agencies were continuing assessments.
Colombia’s newly inaugurated president, Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office just days ago, has convened an emergency committee to coordinate the national response. The Colombian Army confirmed it was deploying five platoons of rescue soldiers equipped with search-and-rescue technology and trained canine units to affected areas. Bogotá’s mayor, Carlos Fernando Galán, said the capital was sending one hundred rescuers to support hard-hit cities, noting that with the city itself largely undamaged, its resources were being redirected to where they’re needed most.
The disaster has drawn a wave of international response. The United States said it is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to assist. El Salvador and Guatemala both offered rescue teams, medical support, and emergency assistance for their nationals in the country. Leaders from Venezuela, Portugal, Italy, Ukraine, and Israel each extended condolences and offers of support to Colombia in the aftermath.
Officials caution that the death toll is likely to rise as search and recovery efforts continue
