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7.4-magnitude earthquake shakes western Colombia and Ecuador

newsAug 10, 2026561,007

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday with the epicenter near San José del Palmar in Chocó, killing at least 20 people and collapsing dozens of buildings across multiple cities. The U.S. Geological Survey and Colombia’s geological service reported the quake at a depth of 66 miles 107 kilometers; the tremor was felt as far away as neighboring Ecuador and the capital Bogotá, prompting widespread evacuations. Local officials said 18 people died in Pereira and two in Manizales, where one of the neo-Gothic cathedral’s towers collapsed onto the nave. In Cali, Mayor Alejandro Eder said residents were trapped in at least 19 collapsed buildings while footage showed homes and small buildings falling in Pereira, Quibdó and Cali. Chocó Governor Nubia Córdoba reported injuries and serious building damage in Quibdó, and authorities warned of likely aftershocks; Colombia’s geological service recorded multiple temblores by late Monday. Newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella said he had taken personal charge of the government response in San José del Palmar as rescue workers searched rubble for survivors. The quake revived memories of Colombia’s deadly 1999 6.2 earthquake that killed more than 1,100 people and has already triggered coordinated rescue and emergency operations across the hardest-hit western regions.

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