At least 79 people are dead and hundreds remain trapped under collapsed buildings after a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, exposing the vulnerability of communities across the Andean nation's densely populated cities and rural areas.
The epicenter hit San Jose Del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in the Choco region about 250 miles west of Bogota, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and Colombia's Geological Service. The quake struck at a depth of 66 miles and was felt in neighboring Ecuador and Panama, though minimal damage was reported there. Colombia's Geological Service said it had been "the highest magnitude earthquake registered in Colombia in the last decade" and that it had been followed by two 2.8 and 4.8 magnitude aftershocks.
The Human Toll
Local officials reported at least 40 people killed in the Risaralda region, where the hard-hit city of Pereira is located, and 27 people in the Valle del Cauca region, home to Colombia's third-biggest city, Cali. At least three of those killed in Valle del Cauca were children, the governor said. Authorities also confirmed nine people were killed in Choco, two more in the Caldas region and a 73-year-old in the Antioquia region. Many more people across the country were injured.
In Cali, a city of 2 million people, Mayor Alejandro Eder said that residents were trapped in at least 19 buildings that had collapsed. Pereira's mayor, Mauricio Salazar, told a local radio station that at least 18 people had died and that many more were trapped under "a massive quantity of collapsed buildings." Colombia's interior minister said more than 20 municipalities across the country had been hit.
Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, said he saw plumes of dust shoot up across the city as buildings collapsed. "My entire house shook. I've never lived through such a powerful earthquake," he said. "We're thanking God we're alive."
Infrastructure Collapse and Response Challenges
The quake left cities across western Colombia — Pereira, Quibdo, Cali and Manizales — ravaged. Residents and search teams picked through the rubble of collapsed buildings amid concerns about aftershocks. In Pereira, photos and videos published by local media showed pieces of the airport ceiling falling down on travelers taking shelter and screaming, and people running through rubble in a panic.
In Manizales, a city in the coffee-producing mountains of Colombia, 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. Authorities in the rural state of Choco, the epicenter of the quake, reported injured people and damaged buildings in the capital, but provided few details.
Flights were suspended in the airports of Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura and Pereira, authorities reported.
Government Response and Regional Context
Colombia's newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella said Monday that he had personally taken charge of the government's response to the emergency in San José del Palmar following the earthquake. "You are not alone. The state is present and taking action," he said. Response to the earthquake presents the first major challenge to de la Espriella, a Trump ally who was sworn in as president over the weekend.
The earthquakes left many in the Andean nation unnerved after two back-to-back quakes devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed more than 5,000 people. At the same time the quake brought down buildings in Colombia, desperate families in Venezuela continued to search the ruins for the bodies of their loved ones.
Small earthquakes are common in central and western Colombia, but those above 6.0 magnitude are rare. In 1999, a 6.2 magnitude quake near the city of Armenia killed more than 1,100 people.
Messages of support rolled in 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, and the U.N. deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, said, "we stand ready to help as needed."
Why This Matters:
The devastation in Colombia highlights the urgent need for stronger building codes and disaster preparedness systems in seismically active regions, particularly in densely populated urban areas where the poor and working-class families often live in structures most vulnerable to collapse. With at least 79 dead and hundreds trapped, the disaster tests the capacity of Colombia's public institutions to mount effective search-and-rescue operations and provide emergency services to affected communities. The tragedy comes as desperate families in neighboring Venezuela still search for loved ones from earthquakes that killed more than 5,000 people in late June, underscoring the regional vulnerability to natural disasters and the critical importance of international cooperation and aid in responding to catastrophes that disproportionately impact vulnerable populations.