A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Tuesday morning, killing more than 100 people and causing widespread damage across several departments. The magnitude 7.4 quake, the strongest in Colombia in a decade, shook the Chocó region for approximately four minutes and was felt as far away as Panama, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the quake’s epicenter was located about 5 kilometers south of San José del Palmar in Chocó, a coastal and sparsely populated province. Two significant aftershocks followed, registering magnitudes of 2.8 and 4.8. Authorities warned that the disaster’s impact was potentially widespread due to the quake’s intensity and duration.
Colombia’s newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella confirmed that the earthquake had resulted in at least 111 deaths and 87 injuries. The Interior Minister reported that more than 20 municipalities across the country had sustained damage or been affected. In particular, the departments of Risaralda and Valle del Cauca suffered severe losses, with local officials reporting 40 fatalities in Risaralda and 27 in Valle del Cauca. Among the casualties in Valle del Cauca were three children, Governor Dilian Francisco Toro said.
Major cities including Pereira, Cali, Manizales, and Armenia experienced structural collapses and widespread destruction. In Cali, the nation’s third-largest city with a population of two million, at least 20 buildings were reported to have collapsed. Mayor Alejandro Eder stated that many residents remained trapped under the rubble and that the city had requested additional disaster response teams from Bogotá and Medellín. Video footage circulating on social media showed the steeple of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Rosary in Manizales collapsing amid the tremors.
Numerous public services were disrupted in the quake’s aftermath. Power outages, as well as interruptions to water and gas supplies, were reported across affected areas. Among the destroyed structures in Cali were the Hotel La Luna, a water park, a bakery, and a supermarket. Residents, including taxi driver Jorge Moncayo, described the intensity of the shaking, with one saying, “My entire house shook. I’ve never lived through such a powerful earthquake.”
Rescue efforts were underway, with the Colombian Red Cross and local communities organizing human chains to search for survivors in collapsed buildings. In Cali, Juan Carlos Osorio recounted the devastation, describing the noise of collapsing structures as sounding “like a bomb.” Officials in Pereira indicated that many people were still trapped under large amounts of debris.
The governor of Chocó, Nubia Carolina Cordoba, reported significant injuries and damage within Quibdó, the provincial capital. Jaime Velasquez, government secretary for the municipality of Nóvita in Chocó, characterized the event as the strongest earthquake in Colombia’s modern history.
In response to the disaster, the Colombian government declared a national emergency. The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that the Trump administration was closely monitoring the situation and expressed readiness to provide assistance to Colombia. Authorities across the affected regions urged residents to remain calm and to assess buildings for safety as aftershocks continued to pose additional risks.