A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday, August 10, 2026, has left at least 254–265 people dead, with reports of hundreds to more than 2,700 people missing and thousands injured, as search-and-rescue teams continue digging through rubble in hard-hit cities including Pereira and Cali.
The quake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time near San José del Palmar in the Chocó Department, at a depth of roughly 96–110 kilometers (60–69 miles), according to the Colombian Geological Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey. It was felt across much of western and central Colombia and in parts of neighboring Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. Officials and seismologists have described it as Colombia’s strongest earthquake in decades—the largest recorded in the country this century and the most powerful since at least the late 1970s in some assessments.
Cities in the coffee-growing region and Valle del Cauca bore the brunt of the damage. In Pereira, local tallies have put the death toll above 100, with dozens of buildings collapsed. Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, has reported roughly 75–95 deaths, widespread structural failures including partial collapses at a major hospital’s pediatric and neonatal wings, and hundreds of injuries. Other affected areas include Quibdó, Manizales, and surrounding municipalities, where homes, schools, health centers, roads, bridges, and airports sustained damage. Tens of thousands of people have been affected overall, with thousands of homes damaged or destroyed.
Rescuers, soldiers, volunteers, and specialized urban search-and-rescue teams have worked around the clock, using heavy machinery, sniffer dogs, vibration-detection equipment, and human chains to clear debris. In Pereira, crews focused on sites such as a collapsed bakery where possible signs of life were reported days after the quake. In Cali, efforts centered on dozens of severely damaged or collapsed buildings. Officials have noted that the critical 72-hour window for finding survivors alive is narrowing or ending, shifting some operations toward recovery while still prioritizing any remaining hope of rescues. Aftershocks—dozens recorded, including one of magnitude around 5.0—have complicated the work and heightened anxiety among residents, many of whom have slept outdoors or in temporary shelters.
President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office only days before the disaster, declared a national emergency and later an economic emergency. He has toured affected regions, ordered coordinated response efforts, and announced measures including national mourning. Aid is flowing from national agencies, local governments, and international partners. Hospitals have been overwhelmed in places, with some treating patients outdoors or in makeshift facilities. Infrastructure disruptions, including closed airports and damaged roads, have slowed access to remote areas of Chocó.
Casualty figures have fluctuated as local authorities, the Association of Capital Cities, and national agencies reconcile reports. Consolidated tallies have listed around 254 dead and more than 2,500 injured with thousands reported missing; more recent local updates have put the death toll near 265, injuries above 3,500 in some counts, and missing-person reports ranging from hundreds through official channels to several thousand on crowdsourced lists (which may include duplicates). The final toll is expected to rise as remote areas are fully assessed and remaining rubble is cleared.
The intermediate-depth strike-slip event occurred within the subducting Nazca plate. While deeper quakes of this size can be less destructive at the surface than shallow ones, the intensity still produced severe shaking across populated valleys and urban centers. Colombia sits on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire and routinely experiences smaller quakes, but events of this magnitude remain rare.
As the immediate rescue phase winds down, attention is shifting toward humanitarian needs, temporary housing, infrastructure repairs, and longer-term recovery in one of the country’s most significant natural disasters in recent decades. Authorities continue to urge residents in damaged areas to remain cautious amid ongoing aftershocks.
