A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, killing at least 111 people and triggering building collapses across several major cities, just three days after the country inaugurated a new president.
The quake hit at 7:34 a.m. local time with its epicenter near San Jose del Palmar in the Choco department, at a depth of roughly 107 kilometers, according to the Colombian Geological Survey. It was followed by a 4.8-magnitude aftershock at 8:18 a.m. The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the magnitude and depth. Colombia’s national disaster agency reported 87 people injured and more than 1,575 homes damaged, with 37 completely destroyed and 61 buildings collapsed.
The hardest-hit areas included the Risaralda department, where the city of Pereira recorded 42 fatalities, and Valle del Cauca, where 27 people died including three children. In Cali, the departmental capital, at least 20 buildings collapsed and rescue teams worked to free survivors trapped beneath the rubble. The city reported 380 damaged structures in total. In nearby Manizales, a tower of the city’s neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed and fell on the nave.
Seven airports suspended operations across the affected region, in the cities of Armenia, Cali, Manizales, Pereira, Quibdo, Buenaventura, and Cartago. The governor of Choco reported severe damage to buildings in the departmental capital, Quibdo. Bogota, the national capital, escaped major structural damage, though the tremor was felt across the country.
President Abelardo de la Espriella, who was sworn in on August 7, declared a national emergency to expedite funding for recovery efforts. “You are not alone,” the new president wrote on social media, pledging to do “everything necessary” to support affected regions. The disaster immediately tests his administration’s crisis response capability just hours into his term.
De la Espriella, a right-wing political newcomer, took office just three days before the earthquake, having campaigned on security and governance. His inauguration in Cali was already marked by a car bomb attack the following day, blamed on FARC dissidents. Now the new government faces a dual challenge of natural disaster recovery alongside ongoing security concerns in the country’s conflict-ridden western departments.
Colombia sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it one of the most seismically active countries in South America. The country’s coffee-growing region has experienced destructive earthquakes before, most notably a 6.2-magnitude quake in 1999 that killed more than 1,000 people in Armenia and Pereira. Monday’s earthquake is described as the most powerful recorded in Colombia this century, with officials warning the death toll could rise as rescue teams continue searching collapsed buildings.
Sources:
BBC – At least 111 killed in Colombia earthquake
New York Times – Powerful 7.4 Earthquake Strikes Colombia
Reuters – Colombia earthquake kills at least 22 as buildings collapse
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