A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia early Monday morning, resulting in at least 111 fatalities and triggering extensive rescue operations across multiple cities. The seismic event, which occurred at 7:34 am local time (12:34 GMT), was centered approximately 5 kilometres east of the town of San Jose del Palmar at a depth of 107 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey. Following the main shock, a magnitude 5.0 aftershock hit the region at 13:18 GMT, about 16 kilometres west of San Jose del Palmar.
President Abelardo De La Espriella reported that at least 87 people sustained injuries during the disaster. The physical toll on the region is significant, with 1,575 homes reported damaged. Among these, 37 homes were completely destroyed, while 61 buildings collapsed entirely. Furthermore, the earthquake damaged 18 health centres, 52 educational facilities, 17 community centres, and 18 roads. In response to the scale of the destruction, the Colombian government has declared a national disaster to improve the mobilization and coordination of institutional resources.
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Monday expressing deep sorrow over the loss of life and material damage. The ministry extended condolences to the victims' families and the people of Colombia, while wishing a speedy recovery to those injured. Turkish officials confirmed that the Turkish Embassy in Bogota is currently in contact with Turkish citizens in the country and is actively monitoring the situation.
Despite the intensity of the earthquake, the US Tsunami Warning Centre confirmed that no tsunami threat exists for the US states of California, Oregon, Washington, or Alaska, nor for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Colombian authorities have similarly confirmed that there is no tsunami risk to the country's Pacific coast.
