Colombia Earthquake: At Least 132 Dead After Magnitude 7.4 Quake Strikes Chocó

• A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia's Chocó province on August 11, 2026, killing at least 132 people and injuring more than 480
• The city of Pereira recorded some of the worst destruction, with 65 buildings collapsing and people believed trapped in 15 of them
• Colombia's newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national disaster and unlocked emergency powers to manage the crisis

Colombia was rocked by one of its most devastating earthquakes in recent memory on Monday, August 11, 2026, leaving at least 132 people dead and more than 480 injured after a magnitude 7.4 tremor tore through the country's western region.

The BBC reported that the quake struck at 07:34 local time (12:34 GMT) at a depth of 103km beneath Chocó province, with its epicentre located near the village of San José del Palmar.

Despite the proximity to the epicentre, local mayor León Fabio Marín Moncada confirmed that San José del Palmar recorded no deaths or injuries, though access roads were badly damaged.

Read also

Tragedy strikes as three die in galamsey pit collapse, details

The shockwaves were felt across hundreds of miles of western Colombia, with tremors also reaching neighbouring Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama.

Colombia's Pereira and Cali suffer more destruction

The city of Pereira, situated roughly 55km from the epicentre in Colombia's coffee-growing region, suffered some of the gravest losses.

At least 40 people died in the city's metropolitan area alone, with 65 buildings collapsing and residents feared trapped inside 15 of them.

A curfew was imposed in parts of the city until 05:00 local time on Tuesday.

In Cali, about 160km to the south, 32 buildings collapsed. Dan Cutler, a 29-year-old Londoner travelling through Colombia with his partner, was staying in the city when the earthquake struck.

"I've never experienced anything like it," he told the BBC.

"We sprinted outside in our pyjamas. There's no major structural damage to the hotel, but there are surface cracks in the walls, and paint and plaster have peeled off."

Deaths were also confirmed in Manizales, Quibdó, and Medellín, while several regional airports sustained damage, including those serving Pereira, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura.

Read also

Nigerian businessman arrested at airport after swallowing 98 wraps of illicit items, details emerge

In Manizales, hotel guest Angélica Ávila described watching cracks split the walls around her as the quake hit.

"Everyone was screaming... I saw dust coming out of the neighbouring buildings, and bricks were falling off the walls," she said. Local journalist Luis Felipe Molina credited the city's strict seismic-resistant building codes, developed after previous earthquakes, with limiting the devastation. "It was a terrible and terrifying experience," he added.

The Instagram post below shows the devastating impact of the earthquake in Colombia.

New Colombian President declares national disaster

President Abelardo de La Espriella, who had only taken office the previous Friday, immediately declared a national disaster, granting his administration special powers to redirect budgets towards emergency relief.

He confirmed that more than 1,500 homes had been damaged across the affected regions.

International support followed swiftly. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was closely monitoring the situation and stood ready to assist. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen announced that the bloc's Copernicus satellite had been deployed to support rescue operations, while El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele offered personnel and equipment.

Read also

Government releases list of 10 most visited tourist attractions in Ghana

The United States Geological Survey estimated that approximately 1.5 million people experienced shaking of close to magnitude seven intensity.

The Instagram post below shows a family fleeing for safety as their home came crashing down during the earthquake in Colombia.

Reactions trail the Colombia earthquake news

Social media users around the world reacted with grief and solidarity:

@dino.serrao wrote:

"Oh, God! I can't believe this happened again 😢 really hope this time is not as bad as Venezuela. Still praying for those souls and for you, these people in Colombia now 💔."

@mary_uzorchukwu:

"God have mercy 😢😢😢😢."

@sir.leez:

"Stay safe all, God is in control 🙏🏼."

@maria_lourdas:

"Wow, this is horrible 💔& very sad 😢. Praying for Colombia 🇨🇴 amen 🙏😇😇🙏❤️❤️❤️🙌."

@robbharperbass:

"We keep [Expletive] all of the oil and metals out of the earth 🌏 (for Profit). God have mercy on us 🙏🏽."

Venezuela earthquake kills over 32, 700 injured

YEN.com.gh, back in June 2026, reported that a catastrophic natural disaster had hit Venezuela after two massive back-to-back earthquakes struck near the coastal city of Morón, killing at least 32 people and injuring more than 700 others.

Read also

Archbishop Duncan-Williams faces strong backlash over his 'controversial' comments on galamsey, video emerges

The consecutive tremors, which hit within a brief 39-second window of each other on the evening of Wednesday, June 24, 2026, flattened multiple buildings and sent thousands of panicked residents fleeing into open streets.

Seismological data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) classified the phenomenon as a highly destructive "seismic doublet." The first earthquake registered a powerful magnitude of 7.2 just west of Morón.

Source: YEN.com.gh