7.4 Earthquake Strikes Western Colombia, Rescuers Search Collapsed Buildings in Chocó Cities

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, August 10, near the community of San José del Palmar in Chocó, and rescuers searched through collapsed buildings across cities including Cali, Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó and Buenaventura.

“put the confirmed death toll at 169 on Tuesday, with 668 people injured”

Tempo.co English

The Colombian Association of Capital Cities, known as Asocapitales, put the confirmed death toll at 169 on Tuesday, with 668 people injured, while the figures were described as incomplete because they largely cover major cities.

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Cali accounted for 85 deaths and Pereira 66, according to Asocapitales, and more than 3,000 people were reported missing with many feared trapped beneath collapsed buildings.

BBC reporting said the magnitude 7.4 quake struck at 07:34 (12:34 GMT) at a depth of 103km (64 miles) in Chocó province, and it was felt across an enormous area stretching for hundreds of miles across western Colombia.

In the same BBC account, Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national disaster situation, creating special powers to react to the emergency, including to reallocate budgets.

As the death toll rose, the Miami Herald reported that at least 181 people had been confirmed dead in Colombia’s main cities, while Asocapitales reported 1,310 people injured and 153 buildings collapsed in the cities it represents.

In Cali, the Miami Herald said the largest death toll among the capital cities was 95 people killed, 244 injured and 56 buildings collapsed, while Pereira reported 72 deaths and 66 collapsed buildings.

Acento

Rescue efforts continued through the night, and rescuer Kevin Restrepo told Agence France-Presse in Pereira, “My hope is to find someone alive, to do as much as possible,” while Juana Marín said, “I feel defeated. It’s too sad to see the whole city like this, knowing there are still people alive in there.”

BBC reporting said many of the deaths were concentrated in Cali, with at least 900 people injured, and it described the epicentre as near the village of San José del Palmar, where local mayor León Fabio Marín Moncada said there had miraculously been no deaths or injuries despite damaged roads.

The Tempo.co English account said the epicenter was near one of Colombia's poorest and most isolated regions where large parts of the area can be reached only by boat, aircraft or through jungle routes, leaving the full extent of casualties and destruction near the epicenter unclear.

International support moved in alongside the search, with the Tempo.co English report saying the United States offered $15.5 million (€13.42 million) in emergency assistance and the European Union activated its Copernicus satellite service to support rescue operations.

“The United States has offered $15.5 million (€13.42 million) in emergency assistance”

Tempo.co English

The same Tempo.co English account said the EU began providing emergency assistance including €100,000 in initial aid through the German Red Cross, and it listed Israel, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and El Salvador as having offered assistance.

BBC reporting quoted a spokesman for Pope Leo XIV saying the pontiff was “deeply saddened to learn the painful news of the earthquake,” while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was “closely monitoring” the earthquake and stood “ready to support.”

In the response on the ground, the Washington Examiner said Abelardo de la Espriella “directly assumed leadership of the emergency response” and ordered the establishment of a Unified Command Post to coordinate attention to damages and affected individuals.

The Washington Examiner also reported that over 3,000 more people were reported missing and around 1,600 buildings, including airports, were damaged, while it quoted Choco Gov. Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi warning, “We are concerned about aftershocks.”