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7.4 Earthquake Kills At Least 111 In Western Colombia Near San José Del Palmar

10 August, 2026.Canada.33 sources

Developing · updated 1h ago · 33 outlets

At least 111 people killed after 7.4-magnitude earthquake in western Colombia. President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national disaster.

33 outlets2 divides2 facts unevenly coveredseverity 2/10

Beat 1 · The verdict

Fox News foregrounds tsunami risk; DW foregrounds EU aid and Copernicus support.

Beat 2 · The divide, quote v quote

“The U.S. tsunami warning system said there was no tsunami threat.”

Fox News

“Copernicus, has already been mobilized to aid rescuers.”

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Full story

7.4 quake hits Colombia

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 111 people and injuring at least 87, with the epicenter near San José del Palmar in the Chocó province.

“"The first priority is rescuing the people trapped under the rubble."”

Reuters

Colombia’s newly inaugurated president, Abelardo de la Espriella, declared a national disaster and said the government had deployed “all of its capabilities deployed to protect lives, assist affected communities and deliver aid wherever it is needed.”

ABC News

The quake hit at 07:34 (12:34 GMT) and was followed by aftershocks, with the Colombian Geological Service reporting two aftershocks of magnitudes 2.8 and 4.8.

In the hardest-hit areas, Pereira saw extensive damage as rescue workers searched collapsed buildings for survivors, and the BBC reported that local authorities had reported at least 40 people dead in the city’s metropolitan area with 65 collapsed buildings.

The BBC also reported that a curfew was in place in some parts of Pereira until 05:00 local time on Tuesday, as the national death toll was expected to rise.

Sources

Reuters

BBC

Officials, witnesses, and aid

In a video message, de la Espriella told the public, “You are not alone,” and said he would do everything in his power to help in the “most difficult moments.”

The BBC quoted Dan Cutler, who said, “I've never experienced anything like it,” after being woken by the earthquake in Cali.

BBC

In Cali, Mayor Alejandro Eder said at least 20 buildings had collapsed with people trapped inside, and Reuters reported that a firefighter, Mauricio Andrade, said his team had rescued two adult women and two children from a collapsed building.

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

On the international response, the BBC said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was “closely monitoring” the earthquake and stood “ready to support,” while the EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the EU’s Copernicus satellite was being used in the rescue operation.

Sources

CBS News

BBC

What comes next

The disaster response was framed as an emergency effort to expedite recovery funding, with de la Espriella declaring an emergency to expedite funding for the quake recovery and creating special powers to react to the emergency.

“at least 1,575 homes, 18 health centers and 52 schools had been damaged”

The New York Times

The BBC reported that the president declared a national disaster situation, creating special powers to react to the emergency, including to reallocate budgets, while the Reuters account said the national government had all of its capabilities deployed.

Damage reporting extended to homes, health centers, and schools, with the New York Times saying at least 1,575 homes, 18 health centers and 52 schools had been damaged and that the death toll was likely to rise as rescue crews continued digging.

The BBC also reported that the aviation authority had reported damage at several regional airports including Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura, while the Reuters report said civil aviation authority suspended operations at several airports in the country’s west.

In Chocó, the NBC News account said Gov. Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi reported 12 deaths and 84 people injured as of 1:02 p.m., and the Reuters report said communications outages slowed reports from Choco near the epicenter, with some areas still lacking cellphone service hours after the earthquake.

Sources

The New York Times

NBC News