A state of emergency has been declared after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, with the death toll now standing at 132 and more than 570 people injured.
The quake, which struck at approximately 7:34 am local time on Monday, is the strongest recorded in the country in over a decade and has reduced buildings to rubble across several major cities.
Widespread Devastation
The epicentre was located in the coastal Chocó region, near San José del Palmar, at a depth of about 100 kilometres . The tremors, which lasted for four agonising minutes, were felt as far away as Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela, prompting building evacuations in the capital, Bogotá.
The cities of Pereira, Cali, Quibdó, Manizales, and Armenia are among the worst affected, with all five remaining on red alert. Pereira, in the coffee-growing region, has been particularly hard-hit, reporting 60 deaths . Mayor Mauricio Salazar described the situation as “critical”.
In Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, Mayor Alejandro Eder confirmed that at least 32 buildings have collapsed, with rescue teams desperately searching for survivors trapped beneath the debris . Initial reports of 20 building collapses were later revised upwards as the scale of the damage became clear.
Emergency Response
President Abelardo de la Espriella, who was sworn into office just three days before the disaster, has declared a state of national disaster and established a Unified Command Post to coordinate the response . The government has deployed all available resources, with cabinet ministers dispatched to the hardest-hit areas.
“I entrust our country to the Lord Jesus Christ,” the President said in his first address from a military facility. “Today all Colombians, regardless of ideological differences, must unite around a single cause: the victims of this natural disaster.”
International Support
The international community has rallied to support Colombia. The United States has announced $15.5 million in aid for emergency shelter and food, while the European Union has activated its Copernicus satellite service to aid rescue operations . Leaders from across the political spectrum, including Argentina’s Javier Milei, Brazil’s Lula da Silva, and Spain’s Pedro Sánchez, have offered their support.
A Nation in Shock
Residents have described scenes of chaos and devastation. In Cali, taxi driver Jorge Moncayo told reporters he saw 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.”
The earthquake has revived traumatic memories of the 1999 Armenia earthquake, which killed nearly 1,200 people. With several airports suspending operations and rescue teams continuing to dig through rubble, authorities have warned that the casualty figure may continue to rise.
The government faces the monumental task of coordinating the largest disaster response in a decade, with efforts complicated by damage to health centres, schools, and roads across the affected regions .
