A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, resulting in more than 100 deaths and widespread destruction across the region. Officials confirmed that this event is the largest earthquake ever recorded in the country. The epicenter was identified in San José del Palmar, a community located in the rural Chocó province approximately 250 miles west of Bogotá, according to data from the U.S.
Geological Survey and its Colombian counterpart. Less than an hour after the initial shock, the USGS recorded a 5.0-magnitude aftershock.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella reported that at least 111 people have been killed and at least 87 individuals sustained injuries. In response to the crisis, the president declared an emergency to accelerate funding for recovery efforts.
The impact of the quake was widespread, with approximately 10.5 million people experiencing strong to very strong shaking. Reports of the tremor reached as far as the coast in Barranquilla and even into neighboring Ecuador.
The highest concentration of fatalities occurred in provinces adjacent to Chocó. The Risaralda region, including the city of Pereira, reported at least 40 deaths, while the Valle del Cauca region, home to Cali, recorded 27 deaths. Chocó Governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi stated via social media that her province suffered nine deaths and 80 injuries.
Additionally, two people died in the city of Manizales, located in the Caldas region. In Bogotá, Mayor Carlos F. Galán Carlos F. Galán noted that while the shaking was felt, no structural damage occurred in the capital.
The destruction has left cities including Cali, Manizales, Pereira, and Quibdó severely damaged, with officials reporting that over 20 municipalities were hit and hundreds of buildings were compromised. In Manizales, Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas stated that more than 20 homes and over a dozen buildings were partially or totally destroyed, with images showing a tower of the city’s neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed onto its nave.
In Cali, Mayor Alejandro Eder reported that residents were trapped in at least 20 collapsed buildings. Residents, including 64-year-old taxi driver Jorge Moncayo, described the shaking as the most powerful they had ever experienced.
The infrastructure impact also affected transportation, with the aviation agency suspending flights in Pereira, Manizales, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura. In Pereira, local media captured footage of airport ceilings collapsing onto travelers.
In Armenia, authorities evacuated residents due to concerns over structural integrity. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the Trump administration is monitoring the situation and is prepared to support Colombia.
This earthquake, occurring along the "Ring of Fire," marks the most severe seismic event in Colombia since records began in the 1920s, and follows recent 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude quakes in Venezuela that resulted in over 5,000 deaths.
"The quake was very, very strong," Valeria Polo, a 29-year-old content creator in Bogotá, told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
"My entire house shook," he said. "I've never lived through such a powerful earthquake."
