7.4 Earthquake Kills At Least 132 in Colombia, Injures Over 570 Near San José del Palmar

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, killing at least 132 people so far and injuring over 570 others, with hundreds of buildings damaged and at least 61 collapsed completely, according to the Colombian Association of Capital Cities.

“killing at least 132 people so far and injuring over 570 others”

NewsBytes

The epicenter was located near San José del Palmar in the Chocó district, and the tremor was felt across most of Colombia as well as in neighboring Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama, with the US Geological Survey placing its epicentre near San José del Palmar at a depth of 107 kilometres.

ColombiaOne

Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella declared an emergency to speed up funding for earthquake recovery efforts, while the government deployed soldiers to assist rescue operations.

In Pereira, the worst-hit city, at least 60 deaths were reported there, and at Pereira's Matecana International Airport parts of ceilings collapsed and debris fell in passenger seating areas.

The US has committed $15.5 million to Colombia for shelter, food, protection and earthquake assessments, the State Department said.

Caracoltelevision, citing the latest government data, reported the death toll reached 132 and another 570 people were injured, after previously reported figures of 111 deaths and 87 injuries.

The earthquake damaged 1,575 residential buildings, with 61 completely destroyed, and damaged infrastructure included 18 health facilities, 52 educational institutions, 18 roads, and seven airports, according to the same reporting.

Comunicaffe International

News18 said the quake left western Colombia reeling, with the country’s poorest department of Chocó and the famed Coffee Axis among the worst-hit regions, and it put Pereira’s fatalities at 60.

News18 also described healthcare impacts in Cali, where part of the University Hospital collapsed and trapped patients inside, while other patients were evacuated.

In Manizales, municipal authorities converted the Coliseo Mayor Jorge Arango Uribe into a shelter for displaced people and announced the suspension of all activities, as hospitals in Cali declared a red alert after reaching 100 per cent capacity.

Authorities reported that five capital cities were on red alert, 86 structures had collapsed, and seven airports had suspended operations, while Cali’s mayor reported at least 188 individuals were missing.

“five capital cities are on red alert, 86 structures have collapsed”

NewsBytes

The earthquake struck at around 7:34 am local time on Monday, and in Bogotá a video shared by El Colombiano on its X account showed construction workers clinging to steel beams as the structure swayed violently.

In the Coffee Axis, Comunicaffe International said the worst-hit area around Pereira—about 50 kilometres to the east—had at least 66 people dead, dozens of buildings collapsed, and a night-time curfew imposed for safety reasons.

News18 said police, firefighters, soldiers and volunteers were deployed across affected areas to search for people trapped beneath collapsed structures, and it described rescuers pulling two women and two children alive from a collapsed building in Cali.

Ecuador offered 47 rescuers, specialist search dogs and equipment designed to operate independently for up to seven days, while the United States and United Nations said they were ready to support Colombia if needed.