A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck western Colombia on Monday, resulting in at least 78 confirmed deaths, trapping numerous individuals under debris, and causing significant structural damage across the region. The seismic event, which the Colombian Geological Service identified as the strongest registered in the country in the last decade, originated in San José del Palmar, a community of approximately 4,800 people in the Chocó region, situated about 250 miles west of Bogotá.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that a 5.0 magnitude aftershock occurred less than an hour following the initial tremor. According to USGS data, roughly 10.5 million people experienced strong to very strong shaking. The country lies along the “Ring of Fire,” the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.
Local officials in provinces neighboring Chocó confirmed dozens of fatalities. This includes at least 40 deaths in the Risaralda region, home to the hard-hit city of Pereira, and 27 deaths in the Valle del Cauca region, where Colombia’s third-biggest city, Cali, is located. Chocó Governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi reported via social media that at least nine people died and 80 were injured in her province, while two additional deaths were confirmed in the city of Manizales.
The earthquake prompted widespread evacuations, with shaking felt as far as Bogotá, the coast in Barranquilla, and neighboring Ecuador. “The quake was very, very strong,” Valeria Polo, a 29-year-old content creator in Bogotá, told the Agence France-Presse news agency. While no structural damage was reported in the capital, the impact was severe elsewhere, with Colombia’s interior minister noting that more than 20 municipalities were affected.
In Cali, a city of 2 million, Mayor Alejandro Eder reported that residents were trapped in at least 20 collapsed buildings. Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in the city, described the scene from his home: “I saw plumes of dust shoot up across the city from my home. My entire house shook. I’ve never lived through such a powerful earthquake.”
The city of Pereira faced chaotic scenes as the infrastructure failed. Photos and videos published by local media showed pieces of the airport ceiling falling down on travelers taking shelter and screaming, with people running through rubble in a panic. Aviation authorities subsequently suspended flights at multiple airports, including those in Pereira, Manizales, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura.
In Manizales, Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas stated that over a dozen buildings and more than 20 homes were partially or totally destroyed. Images from the city showed that one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral had collapsed into the nave. Meanwhile, in Armenia, residents were evacuated from their homes due to concerns over structural integrity.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced he is leading the emergency response and intends to travel to the quake zone. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the Trump administration is closely monitoring the situation and “stands ready to support the people of Colombia.”
The region hit by Monday’s quake, known as Colombia’s coffee region, was previously devastated by a 1999 earthquake that claimed more than 1,200 lives. This latest disaster follows two back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes that struck neighboring Venezuela in late June, which caused widespread destruction and killed more than 5,000 people. This is a developing story, with reporting contributions from Luis Giraldo.
Source: CBS News
