• Deaths reported:At least 29 people are dead after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake was recorded Monday in western Colombia, according to a CNN count based on reports from local officials in the affected areas
• Where it occurred: The epicenter was located in San José del Palmar, in the northwestern department of Chocó, about 280 kilometers (or about 173 miles) west of Bogotá. The tremor was felt strongly in the nation’s capital, with alarms sounding and people evacuating to the streets as a precaution
• The response:The governor of Chocó confirmed “there are injured people and severe damage to buildings” in the regional capital of Quibdó. Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella — who just took office on Friday — has convened an emergency committee to address the damage. Sigue nuestra cobertura en español
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People stand outside their homes after a quake was felt in Bogota, Colombia, Monday.
So far, at least 29 people have been confirmed dead following the strong 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Colombia on Monday, according to a CNN count based on reports from governors and mayors in the affected areas
Eighteen deaths have been recorded in Pereira (Risaralda department), two in Manizales (Caldas), four in the Chocó department, three in Calima El Darién, one in Zarzal (Valle del Cauca), and one in Támesis (Antioquia)
Emergency crews search debris in Pereira after Colombia quake
International leaders in the US, South America, Europe and the Middle East have offered to bolster rescue efforts in Colombia after a lethal 7.4 magnitude earthquake caused devastation in several cities, killing more than a dozen people and displacing scores more from their homes
Here’s the latest global reaction:
- United States:The Trump Administration is “closely monitoring” the earthquake, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X a short while ago, adding that the US “stands ready to support the people of Colombia” and its leadership.
- Venezuela:The Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave “solidarity and prayers” to Colombia after the quake on Monday, adding that Venezuelans know “firsthand how vital international solidarity is in the face of a tragedy of this magnitude.”
- El Salvador:The El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele stated the government is “ready to provide immediate support with our rescue teams, medical personnel, paramedics, supplies, or any other assistance” in a post on X.
- Guatemala:Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an emergency phone number for nationals in Colombia, urging them to “stay attentive to the instructions of local authorities and only consult official sources.”
- Portugal:Officials at the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended “heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims” and wished a “speedy recovery to all the injured” on a social media post.
- Italy:Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was “reading with concern the updates on the violent earthquake that struck Colombia.” She offered Italy’s “deepest sympathies to the Colombian people, the affected families, and all those engaged in relief and assistance operations.”
- Ukraine:Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the news of the earthquake “terrible,” offering his country’s “condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to everyone affected” in a post on X.
- Israel:The Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar offered his Colombian counterpart “all the assistance that Israel can provide,” adding that his “thoughts and prayers are with the Colombian people in these difficult times.”
This post has been updated with additional international reaction. CNN’s Barbie Latza Nadeau contributed to this reporting
The governor of Antioquia, the region that includes the city of Medellín, said a 73-year-old man had died in today’s strong earthquake
Four people, including three children, have been killed in the region of Valle del Cauca after an earthquake struck Colombia this morning, according to a local governor
The three children died following the collapse of a wall in the municipality of Calima El Darién, while the other person died in Zarzal, Governor Dilian Francisca Toro said
“The situation is serious,” said the governor, noting that she is at the Valle University Hospital, where “collapses in some areas” also occurred
Travellers seek cover as 7.4 magnitude earthquake hits Matecaña International Airport
0:31• Source:
CNN
Travellers seek cover as 7.4 magnitude earthquake hits Matecaña International Airport
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Video shared on social media shows the moment tremors from today’s powerful earthquake were felt by travelers at Aeropuerto Internacional Matecaña in Pereira, Colombia
People can be seen seeking cover as debris falls around them
The quake damaged airports in five other Colombian cities besides Pereira — including Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura — according to the country’s Civil Aso suspended at Alfonso Bonilla Aragón Airport in Cali
The earthquake that shook Colombia this morning was also felt in parts of Venezuela — a country still grappling with the aftermath of the twin earthquakes on June 24
The Venezuelan government is assessing the situation in the border states of Táchira and Zulia, according to a local governor
“Emergency response agencies have been deployed, and Civil Protection plans are in effect. We urge citizens to remain calm and coordinated,” Bernal added
A man carries his dog after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, Monday.
At least 18 people died this Monday in the Colombian city of Pereira, in the center of the country, due to a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, according to the city’s mayor, Mauricio Salazar, in statements to local media
With at least two dead in the city of Manizales, the toll from Pereira brings the total number of confirmed deaths following the earthquake to at least 20
Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, which was spared the brunt of today’s earthquake, is sending rescuers to affected cities across the country, its mayor said a short while ago
“Bogotá is ready to help the cities most affected by the earthquake. 100 rescuers are ready to go to CATAM (Military Transportation Air Command) and go to the cities that the National Government prioritizes,” Carlos Fernando Galán wrote in a post on X
“No serious structural damage is reported in Bogotá, so our capabilities are at the service of the country,” he continued
Five platoons of rescue soldiers are being deployed to areas across Colombia that may require attention following the earthquake this morning, the Colombian Army said in a post on X a short while ago
“We keep our capacities available to respond in a timely manner and protect the lives of Colombians,” it continued
Building collapses in Pereira after large 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Colombia
0:52• Source:
CNN
Building collapses in Pereira after large 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Colombia
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Video from the Colombian city of Pereira shows a four-story building collapsing after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the west of the country on Monday. People appear to run away from the building as debris falls to the street which was hosting a number of fruit stalls
Moment powerful earthquake shakes church in Colombia
1:16• Source:
CNN
Moment powerful earthquake shakes church in Colombia
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Social media video geolocated by CNN captures the moment the powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked the city of Pereira in western Colombia
The quake caused the the facade of the Iglesia San José to partially collapse, as trees and powerlines shook violently. Bystanders can be seen screaming and grasping each other in fear as the earth moved beneath their feet
The mayor of a town in Colombia’s western Chocó department told Caracol Radio that the earthquake felt there was the “strongest in our entire history.”
“The health center where I am currently located is completely overwhelmed,” Jaime Velásquez, the mayor of Nóvita, told Colombian news station Caracol Radio. “We are on high alert because we are being informed of possible aftershocks.”
Velásquez said that he had not been informed of any deaths in Nóvita from the quake, but that the town’s church and numerous other buildings were badly damaged
Patients are evacuated outside a hospital after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026.
More than 2 million people were exposed to very strong shaking — a level 7 out of 10 on the scale used by the US Geological Survey — during today’s earthquake in Colombia. This level of shaking will bring “considerable damage in poorly built structures,” and slight to moderate damage to well-built structures
The most populated cities likely effected include Zarzal, Pereira and Armenia
USGS estimates “significant casualties” could be among the potentially widespread damage based on the shaking, with a roughly one-in-three chance that fatalities could top 1,000
Colombian president convenes emergency committee to address damage caused by earthquake
0:32• Source:
CNN
Colombian president convenes emergency committee to address damage caused by earthquake
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Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has convened an emergency committee to address the damage caused by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake in his country this morning, he said a short while ago
“I am heading to Bogotá to focus on addressing the emergency facing our country,” de la Espriella wrote in a post on X
The president said that he will “personally lead efforts” to assist communities affected by the disaster from a post at Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD)
Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, Monday.
At least two people have died in the central Colombian city of Manizales
“Many structures were affected; we have buildings that are totally or partially destroyed,” Rojas said in a video posted to his X account. “We have two people who died as a result of the event or in circumstances closely related to it.”
Rojas also said that the city suspended service on the Manizales aerial cable car system due to structural damage, and that authorities are evacuating passengers
“All three lines are out of service,” Rojas said. “Lines 1 and 2 have already been cleared, while the evacuation of passengers from Line 3 is ongoing.”
Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, on Monday.
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake was recorded Monday in western Colombia, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), with tremors felt in several cities across the country
The epicenter was located in San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, about 280 kilometers west of Bogotá, at a depth of 107 kilometers at 7:34 a.m. local time (8:34 a.m. ET), the USGS reported
The governor of Colombia’s northwestern area of Chocó, Nubia Carolina Córdoba Curi, confirmed that in the regional capital, Quibdó, “there are injured people and severe damage to buildings” and expressed concern about possible aftershocks
