Bogotá, Colombia10:42 a.m. Aug. 10
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A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, rattling much of the country and sending residents fleeing from buildings in the capital, Bogotá, and other cities. Local officials said at least 20 people were killed as rescuers searched the rubble of damaged buildings and officials set up temporary shelters while warning of possible aftershocks.
The 7.4 magnitude earthquake occurred at 7:34 a.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey, with the epicenter about 3 miles east of San José del Palmar, a town of about 5,000 people in a rural part of the Chocó region, where officials reported significant damage. Videos showed partially collapsed buildings in the major cities of Pereira, Manizales and Cali.
Mauricio Salazar, the mayor of Pereira, a city of about 500,000 that is roughly 35 miles from the epicenter, told a national radio station that 18 people there had been killed in the quake. The mayor of Manizales, Jorge Eduardo Rojas reported two deaths and said the city was opening its coliseum for those who needed a safe place to shelter.
The epicenter was about 150 miles west of Bogotá, 100 miles south of Medellín and about 100 miles north of Cali, Colombia’s third largest city with about 2 million residents. At least 20 buildings had collapsed in Cali, trapping people inside, according to its mayor, Alejandro Eder.
Mr. Eder instructed residents to evacuate their buildings if they observed visible damage. “We are already managing this emergency alongside all of Cali’s rescue agencies,” he said.
Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi, the governor of Chocó, said on social media that there were injuries and significant damage to buildings in Quibdó, the capital of the region where about 140,000 people live. The governor of neighboring Valle del Cauca said officials were assessing the extent of the destruction in coordination with relief agencies.
On X, Colombia’s new president, Abelardo De La Espriella, said that he had “personally assumed leadership” of the emergency response to the quake. “You are not alone,” he wrote. “The state is present and taking action.”
Here’s what to know:
- Colombia’s President:Mr. De La Espriella, who took office on Friday, said that he had established a unified command post and solicited a detailed situation report from the country’s disaster management agency, to help him assess the most urgent needs. “I will also be in Pereira in person to stand with those affected and oversee the Government’s response,” he said, referring to a city where damaged has been reported.
- Venezuela Quakes:The quake comes just weeks after twin temblors of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude devastated Venezuela, killing more than 6,000 people, overwhelming morgues and leaving tens of thousands displaced with many more missing and likely dead.
President Abelardo de la Espriella said in a video on social media, that he had canceled his scheduled agenda to personally lead the government’s response to the earthquake. Espriella, who appeared to be on an airplane, said he was traveling to the capital, Bogotá, to convene an emergency coordination center at the national disaster agency. “To Colombians who are going through difficult times today, I want to tell you: you are not alone,” he added in a news release.
The city of Manizales has opened its sports stadium as a temporary shelter for those whose buildings might be unsafe, said the mayor, Jorge Eduardo Rojas. aftershocks. He urged residents to stay out of buildings because of the possibility of aftershocks, and asked them to avoid unnecessary travel and stay off the roads, to allow emergency crews to move through the city. He also urged people to avoid panic-buying to prevent shortages.
The earthquake killed at least two people in Manizales, a western city of 475,000 people, and partially or completely destroyed more than a dozen buildings and more than 20 homes, according to the mayor, Jorge Eduardo Rojas. In a series of posts on X he said multiple gas and electrical leaks were being addressed, the city’s cable-car system was shut down after structural damage was reported at a station, and hundreds of emergency workers and engineers were assessing buildings for damage.
The airport in Pereira suffered damage from the Monday morning earthquake, with sections of the roof collapsed, according to video from Colombian station Caracol.
Risaralda | Así se ve a esta hora el aeropuerto de Pereira tras el terremoto registrado en la mañana de este lunes. Se evidencian afectaciones en la infraestructura, con caída de partes de los techos y daños en fachadas.https://t.co/032Om7rAY3 pic.twitter.com/mG3kdQdBqe
— ÚltimaHoraCaracol (@UltimaHoraCR) August 10, 2026
The quake was felt in Colombia’s capital, Bogotá. Tall buildings swayed in the capital, which is 150 miles to the east of the epicenter. Almost immediately after the quake, one Bogotá city councilman, Samir Abisambra, shared a video on X of a parking garage under an apartment complex where a support column appeared to be badly damaged.
Alejandro Eder, the mayor of Cali, Colombia’s third largest city, said on social media that the quake had caused at least 20 buildings to collapse with people trapped inside. “We are already managing this emergency alongside all of Cali’s rescue agencies,” he said. “I ask the public to remain calm. Please check your buildings for any visible structural damage. If you do not feel safe, or if you see large cracks, please evacuate the building.”