A magnitude 7.4 earthquake tore through western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 111 people and injuring 87 more as hundreds of buildings collapsed across multiple regions, forcing airport closures and sending Colombian stocks lower in the disaster's immediate aftermath.
The U.S. Geological Survey and Colombia's geological service both reported the quake at magnitude 7.4, according to AP News, though the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre cited by Reuters placed it at 6.8. President Abelardo de la Espriella declared an emergency to speed funding for recovery efforts. "We aren't going to leave people alone," he said. "They are in our hearts and we are going to tend to people with our full determination."
Widespread Infrastructure Damage
The epicenter struck San Jose Del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in the Choco region roughly 250 miles west of Bogota. Colombia's interior minister said more than 20 municipalities across the country had been hit. The quake ravaged cities including Pereira, Quibdo, Cali and Manizales, with local officials reporting at least 40 deaths in the Risaralda region and 27 in Valle del Cauca, where three children were among the dead.
Pereira's mayor, Mauricio Salazar, told a local radio station that at least 18 people had died in his city and that many more were trapped under "a massive quantity of collapsed buildings." In Cali, Mayor Alejandro Eder said residents were trapped in at least 19 collapsed buildings. Authorities confirmed nine deaths in Choco, two in the Caldas region and a 73-year-old in the Antioquia region.
Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, watched plumes of dust shoot up across the city as buildings collapsed. "My entire house shook," he said. "I've never lived through such a powerful earthquake. We're thanking God we're alive." In Manizales, one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed and fell on the nave. Jorge Eduardo Rojas, the mayor of Manizales, asked residents to stay outside in case of aftershocks.
Economic and Transportation Disruptions
Authorities suspended flights at six airports: Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura and Pereira. Reuters reported that Colombian stocks slipped and Latin American assets were muted in the aftermath of the quake, adding immediate economic pressure to the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
Colombia's Geological Service said Monday that it had been "the highest magnitude earthquake registered in Colombia in the last decade" and that it had been followed by two aftershocks of magnitude 2.8 and 4.8. The disaster left many Colombians unnerved after two back-to-back quakes devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed more than 5,000 people. Desperate families in Venezuela continued to search the ruins for bodies of their loved ones even as Colombia's crisis unfolded.
International Response
Messages of support came from leaders across the Americas, including Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador and the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X, "The Trump administration is closely monitoring the large earthquake that struck Colombia and stands ready to support the people of Colombia." A number of countries offered aid. The U.N. deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, said, "we stand ready to help as needed."
President de la Espriella said he would visit the disaster zone. "You are not alone," he said. "The state is present and taking action."
Why This Matters:
The earthquake's toll on Colombia extends beyond the immediate human tragedy to broader questions of infrastructure resilience and fiscal capacity. With more than 20 municipalities affected and six airports suspended, the economic disruption compounds an already challenging recovery timeline. The emergency declaration allows faster funding deployment, but the scale of damage—hundreds of collapsed buildings across multiple regions—will test government resources and private sector reconstruction capacity. Colombian stocks' immediate decline reflects market concerns about recovery costs and potential supply chain disruptions. The disaster also arrives as Venezuela continues grappling with its own earthquake aftermath, straining regional humanitarian resources. How efficiently Colombia mobilizes private contractors, secures international aid, and restores critical infrastructure will determine whether this becomes a contained crisis or a prolonged drag on the nation's economic stability and investor confidence.