At least 169 people have been killed and more than 600 injured after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, August 10th 2026, causing widespread destruction and prompting the government to declare a national disaster emergency.
The earthquake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time, with its epicenter near San José del Palmar in Colombia’s Chocó region, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and the Colombian Geological Survey.
The quake originated at an intermediate depth of roughly 96 to 107 kilometers, or about 60 to 66 miles.
President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national disaster as emergency crews responded to collapsed buildings, damaged roads and disrupted utilities across several provinces.
Some of the most severe destruction was reported in Cali, Pereira and Manizales, as well as communities throughout Colombia’s Coffee Axis.
More than 60 major structures have collapsed, while thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed. Health facilities, community centers and roads have also sustained significant damage.
In Cali, more than 20 buildings collapsed, leaving people trapped beneath the rubble and triggering large-scale search-and-rescue operations. Emergency crews were working at multiple sites in an effort to locate survivors.
The earthquake also triggered landslides and debris flows that blocked several strategic highways. Water and electricity services were disrupted across multiple departments, complicating rescue and recovery efforts.
Flight operations were suspended at several regional airports as authorities carried out inspections for possible structural damage.
The powerful shaking was felt across much of Colombia, including Bogotá and Medellín, as well as in neighboring Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.
Residents in several cities rushed into the streets as buildings shook, though Colombia’s two largest cities were not initially reporting destruction on the scale seen in the country’s west.
The Colombian Geological Survey described Monday’s earthquake as the country’s strongest in a decade. Western Colombia is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because of its location near an active tectonic boundary where major plates converge.
Authorities imposed an overnight curfew in Cali to keep streets clear for rescue crews and heavy equipment as teams continued searching collapsed structures for survivors.
The disaster represents an immediate challenge for de la Espriella, who was inaugurated as president just days before the earthquake.
Rescue operations remained underway Monday, and authorities warned that the number of casualties could change as emergency teams reach heavily damaged communities and continue searching through collapsed buildings.
