August 11, 2026

Sharing is caring!

At least 132 people are dead and a state of emergency has been declared after Colombia was hit by one of its largest earthquakes in years.

The death toll is likely to rise, with more feared trapped under collapsed buildings.

The magnitude 7.4 quake struck at 07:34 (12:34 GMT) at a depth of 103km (64 miles) in Chocó province, the country’s geological service said. It was felt across an enormous area, stretching for hundreds of miles across western Colombia.

Many of the deaths have been concentrated in the city of Pereira, in Colombia’s coffee-growing region, with surrounding cities and the Valle del Cauca region also hit hard.

The epicentre of the quake was near the village of San José del Palmar, in Chocó province, but local mayor León Fabio Marín Moncada said that there had miraculously been no deaths or injuries – despite the roads in and out being damaged.

More than 480 people were injured in the quakes, Colombia’s Association of Capital Cities wrote in a statement update on Monday.

About 55km (34 miles) from the epicenter of the earthquake, the city of Pereira saw some of the worst damage.

Videos verified by the BBC show at least one building collapsing in Plaza Bolívar, the city’s main square, with scattered debris and dust across the open space where many people had gathered.

Local authorities have reported at least 40 people dead in the city’s metropolitan area, with 65 collapsed buildings. People are believed to be trapped in 15 of them.

A curfew is in place in some parts of the city until 05:00 local time on Tuesday.

Sharing is caring!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *