Magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia kills at least 74, six airports closed
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, killing at least 74 people, collapsing buildings in Cali and Pereira, and forcing six airports to suspend operations. The quake was felt as far as Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.
Earthquake strikes western Colombia
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia at 07:34 local time (13:34 in Lisbon) on Monday, with the epicenter near the town of San José del Palmar in the Chocó department on the Pacific coast, about 400 kilometers west of Bogotá. The Colombian Geological Service (SGC) initially recorded a magnitude of 6.7 and a depth of 82 kilometers, later revising the depth to 107 kilometers. The USGS reported a depth of approximately 100 kilometers. No tsunami warning was issued. The quake was felt across Colombia and in neighboring Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela, with residents in Quito evacuating taller buildings as a precaution.
- Magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes near San José del Palmar, Chocó department
- Mayor of Pereira reports at least 18 dead and people trapped in collapsed buildings
- Aerocivil suspends operations at six airports in western Colombia
- President De la Espriella convenes emergency committee, announces travel to Pereira
- Death toll reaches at least 74 confirmed dead across four departments
Rising death toll
The death toll climbed rapidly through the morning. By the latest confirmed reports, at least 74 people were dead: 40 in Pereira, 27 in the Valle del Cauca department (excluding Cali), 4 in Chocó, and 3 in Manizales. Earlier counts had put the figure at 18, then 20, then 47. Mauricio Salazar, mayor of Pereira, the city with the most fatalities, told Radio Caracol that "the situation is critical."
- Pereira
- 40 deaths
- Valle del Cauca (excl. Cali)
- 27 deaths
- Chocó
- 4 deaths
- Manizales
- 3 deaths
Damage across cities
In Cali, one of Colombia's largest cities, at least 20 buildings collapsed with people trapped under the rubble. Mayor Alejandro Eder told Reuters he had requested rescue teams from Bogotá and Medellín.
For now, we have at least 20 collapsed structures in Cali with people trapped.
In Manizales, parts of building facades detached and one of the cathedral's towers suffered damage. In Pereira, numerous buildings suffered structural damage, including the airport, and some partially collapsed. In Quibdó, the capital of Chocó, several people were injured and buildings collapsed. Bogotá's mayor Carlos Fernando Galán reported no structural damage, only cracks in some buildings, though residential buildings were being evacuated as a precaution.
Airports suspended
Colombia's Civil Aviation Authority (Aerocivil) suspended operations at six airports in the west and center of the country: Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura. The suspension remains in effect until structural damage to infrastructure is evaluated, Aerocivil said in a statement.
Government response
President Abelardo de la Espriella, sworn in just three days earlier on Friday in Cali, convened an emergency committee and announced he would travel to Pereira. He ordered the installation of a Unified Command Post to coordinate the response to damage and displaced residents.
You are not alone. The State is present and acting.
The governor of Chocó, Nubia Carolina Córdoba, said assessments were underway in Quibdó, a city of about 130,000 inhabitants, where the epicenter town of San José del Palmar has only 4,800 residents. The earthquake is the strongest to hit Colombia in the last decade. It follows two consecutive earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 in Venezuela at the end of June, which destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed more than 5,000 people. Portugal's foreign ministry issued a statement of solidarity with the Colombian people.
