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7.4 Earthquake Kills At Least 47 In Western Colombia, Collapses Buildings In San Jose Del Palmar

10 August, 2026.Technology and Science.62 sources

Developing · updated 1h ago · 62 outlets

Magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit western Colombia, epicenter near San José del Palmar, Chocó. Dozens of buildings collapsed across cities like Cali, Pereira, and Manizales.

62 outlets1 divide1 fact unevenly covered

Beat 1 · The verdict

Reported death toll diverges across outlets

Beat 2 · The divide, quote v quote

“At least 82 people have been confirmed dead, Reuters is reporting.”

TThe Guardian (Western Mainstream)

“At least 69 people have died, according to a government tally.”

TTF1 Info (Western Mainstream)

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7.4 quake hits Colombia

A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 47 people and collapsing dozens of buildings in cities across the region, according to ABC News.

“At least 47 people have been killed and dozens of buildings have collapsed”

ABC News

The quake’s epicenter was in San Jose Del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in the Choco region about 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Bogota, and the USGS said it struck at a depth of 66 miles (107 kilometers).

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In the city of Pereira, local officials confirmed at least 18 people had been killed, while Colombia’s interior minister said more than 20 municipalities across the country had been hit.

Colombia’s newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella said Monday that he had personally taken charge of the government’s response in San José del Palmar, telling Colombians, “You are not alone. The state is present and taking action,” as residents and search teams picked through rubble amid concerns by authorities of aftershocks.

Sources

ABC News

Aftershocks, evacuations, officials

As the death toll was reported at least 69 by Al Jazeera, the earthquake trapped residents under debris and forced evacuations as far as Bogota, where Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan said on social media there were no reports of injuries and only some cracks in buildings.

Al Jazeera quoted Choco Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi saying on X, “We are concerned about aftershocks,” and she added that there were injuries and significant damage to buildings in Quibdo.

ABC News

In Manizales, the BBC reported that one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed and fell on the nave, and mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas said two people had died in the city “because of the quake” and asked residents to stay outside in case of aftershocks.

In Cali, Mayor Alejandro Eder said residents were trapped in at least 19 buildings that had collapsed, while authorities also reported that flights were suspended in the airports of Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago y Buenaventura and Pereira as search and damage assessments continued.

Sources

Al Jazeera

ABC News

State response and regional stakes

Colombia’s response expanded as the quake’s impact spread across the country’s west, with ABC News describing how officials forced evacuations and suspended flights while search teams worked for survivors under collapsed buildings.

“The US tsunami warning system said there was no tsunami warning”

Al Jazeera

In Bogota, the earthquake triggered car and building alarms as people fled into the street, and Al Jazeera reported that emergency teams assessed the quake’s impact while authorities in Colombia and Ecuador urged residents to remain alert.

The stakes also reached beyond Colombia’s borders, with Al Jazeera noting the quake was felt in neighboring Ecuador and Panama and that the US tsunami warning system said there was no tsunami warning.

Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that Abelardo De La Espriella declared a national state of emergency to coordinate rescue efforts, and it said the decision was taken as the president convened an emergency meeting at the crisis room of Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management in Bogotá.

Sources

Al Jazeera

The Guardian