Colombia’s newly sworn-in president has taken personal charge of relief efforts after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake flattened buildings, trapped residents and shut down six airports across the country.
Colombia was rocked by a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake on Monday morning, killing at least 18 people and leaving several others trapped under collapsed buildings. The quake struck at around 7:34 am local time, with its epicentre near San José del Palmar in the Chocó region, between the cities of Cali and Medellín.
Pereira Mayor Mauricio Salazar confirmed the deaths to local media, saying some victims were still trapped in collapsed structures at the time of his statement. Some reports put the toll as high as 20, with rescue and damage assessment operations still underway across affected regions.
According to the US Geological Survey, the quake originated at a depth of around 82 kilometres, roughly 400 kilometres west of the capital Bogotá. Tremors were felt as far as neighbouring Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama, sending residents rushing out of homes and offices in panic.
Cali, Quibdo among worst hit
Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said at least 20 buildings collapsed in the city, with people trapped inside. In Quibdó, capital of the Chocó region, four people were reported trapped in a collapsed four-storey building. The regional governor, Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi, said the quake caused serious injuries and damage to buildings in the city, and that authorities were carrying out a damage assessment while remaining alert to aftershocks.
In Manizales, visuals showed the tower of the city’s landmark cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica, partially collapsed and leaning to one side. Videos circulating on social media showed cracked walls, fallen brickwork and rubble scattered across streets in several cities, including Cali, where vehicles were crushed under a collapsed wall.
President takes charge of response
Colombia’s President, Abelardo De La Espriella, who was sworn in only days before the earthquake struck, said he had personally taken charge of the national emergency response. Writing on social media platform X, he said he had ordered a Unified Command Post to coordinate relief work and would travel to Pereira himself to oversee the government’s response and support affected residents.
Six airports across the country halted operations following the earthquake as authorities assessed runway and infrastructure safety. Building evacuations were carried out in multiple cities, including Bogotá, Quibdó, Manizales and Pereira, as officials worked to move residents to safer locations.
Comes weeks after Venezuela’s deadly quakes
Monday’s earthquake comes less than two months after twin earthquakes devastated northern Venezuela, killing more than 6,100 people, making this the second major seismic disaster to hit the region this year.
Why Colombia sees frequent earthquakes
Colombia lies within the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a seismically active belt where the Nazca, Cocos and South American tectonic plates constantly collide and shift beneath each other. This ongoing tectonic movement makes the country prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity, with the region recording well over a thousand tremors of varying intensity every year.
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