At least 25 people have died in Colombia due to the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook the western part of the country this Monday at 7:34 a.m. local time, according to the first figures reported by the mayors of Pereira, Manizales, and Buenaventura. The tremors have caused several dozen buildings to collapse and have caused injuries in the department of Chocó, one of the most affected so far. There has also been severe damage in the city of Cali, where the mayor, Alejandro Eder, reported that at least 25 structures have collapsed “with people trapped.” “I have requested help from Bogotá and Medellín to send rescuers,” Eder wrote in a message on his X account, asking citizens to “stay calm and leave buildings” if they see large cracks. The airports of Alfonso Bonilla Aragón, Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura have suspended operations after suffering damage.
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- PHOTO GALLERY | The earthquake in Colombia, in images
Earthquake in Colombia
Colombia, a high seismic risk zone: “All households must have an emergency earthquake kit”
Colombia, like Turkey, is one of the few countries in the world where three tectonic plates converge. The continental part of the Andean country is located on the South American plate, the islands of Gorgona and Malpelo are on the Nazca plate, and the islands of San Andrés and Providencia are on the Caribbean plate. This geographic location at the northern tip of South America, privileged for trade and tourism, places the country in a high seismic risk zone. This is acknowledged by John Makario Londoño, a geophysics doctor from Kyoto University in Japan and current technical director of Geo-threats at the Colombian Geological Service. “Colombia is in a seismically very active zone,” Londoño says in an interview with EL PAÍS. He adds: “Every month we have at least 2,500 small earthquakes. We move. That is undeniable.”
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The governor of Valle del Cauca raises the death toll in the department to 27, not counting people in Cali
From the city of Cali, Dilian Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, told Caracol Televisión that the death toll in her department has risen to 27: “Without Cali, about 27 people dead, the most painful, four children.”
“80% of El Cairo is destroyed,” she says about one of the municipalities in Valle. In other municipalities, such as Zarzal, hospital services are overwhelmed, she added.
Update | Seven Colombian airports suspend activity due to the earthquake
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook Colombia, causing more than 25 deaths and severe material damage, has also affected at least seven airports, according to the Civil Aeronautics Authority (Aerocivil), which in a second statement added Alfonso Bonilla Aragón airport in Cali to the six previously reported: Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura. “For safety, air operations at these terminals remain suspended until structural damage to the infrastructure is assessed,” the agency reported.
Aerocivil added that it maintains “permanent monitoring” of the situation and has asked travelers to “stay alert to official channels and their airlines’ information,” as itineraries may be affected. The airports of Pereira, Manizales, and Armenia are located in the coffee-growing zone in central Colombia, one of the areas most affected by the earthquake. Quibdó airport is the main airport of the Chocó department, where the earthquake’s epicenter was located. The other airports that suffered damage are Cartago and Buenaventura, both in the Valle del Cauca department, whose capital, Cali, has seen at least 20 buildings collapse, according to Mayor Alejandro Eder. (Efe)
At least 21 municipalities affected, according to the first report from the Interior Minister
At least 21 municipalities are affected, according to Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara in an initial report from the Unified Command Post (PMU) in Bogotá. He listed nine in Chocó, eight in Caldas, two in Valle del Cauca, two in Risaralda, and several in Quindío, without specifying how many.
He also noted that four Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from Bogotá, Envigado, Yopal, and Medellín have been activated “to address the situation in the most affected regions.” He mentioned that the Bogotá City Hall has offered cranes and that the Antioquia Governor’s Office has made its aircraft available.
“In the next few minutes, the President of the Republic will arrive to personally lead these operations,” he added.
Marco Rubio: “The Trump Administration is ready to support the people of Colombia”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced that Washington is monitoring the earthquake in Colombia and the administration “is ready to support the people of Colombia and the administration of President Abelardo de la Espriella.”
The mayor of Manizales suspends classes in schools and universities
Mayor Jorge Rojas of Manizales has suspended classes in schools and universities. “The educational community is advised to stay alert to official channels for new instructions,” he says on social media. The Governor of Antioquia, in the neighboring department to Manizales, also announced that “in municipalities where the Antioquia Governor’s Office is in charge of educational services, we authorize children and young people to stay home today as a preventive measure.”
EARTHQUAKE IN COLOMBIA
Video | Citizens begin rescue work amid the rubble of Cali
Initial reports mentioned magnitudes of 6.7 and 6.6, and damage has been reported in western Colombian cities such as Cali, Pereira, Armenia, and Manizales. Although the epicenter occurred in a rural, mountainous, and forested area, the effects have spread to densely populated areas. These four cities alone have more than 3.5 million inhabitants.
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Mexico offers support to Colombia: “Of course, we will be there”
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, offered support to Colombia during her morning conference. “We just learned about the serious earthquake. We don’t have more information yet, but we are very attentive, both with our embassy there and with the ambassador here. Of course, all the support the people of Colombia need, we will be there,” she declared.
People walk over the rubble of a collapsed building in Cali (Colombia). / ERNESTO GUZMAN JR / EFE
At least five dead in Valle del Cauca
Authorities have confirmed the death of at least five people in Valle del Cauca. “We have three children in Calima, Darién, and one person in Zarzal. There are many injured in Zarzal,” said the department’s governor, Dilian Francisca Toro, on Noticias Caracol. “I am at the University Hospital [of Valle, in Cali], and we are overwhelmed. There are five patients we have not been able to evacuate, who are under the rubble,” she added. A few minutes earlier, the mayor of Buenaventura had confirmed one death in her city, in the same department, during an interview on Caracol Radio.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno: “The United States is ready to help our great ally”
An ally of the Colombian president in the United States, Republican Bernie Moreno, celebrated that Abelardo de la Espriella has taken charge of the emergency following the earthquake. “The United States is ready to help our great ally,” Moreno announced.
Venezuela assesses the effects of the Colombia earthquake without reporting victims or serious damage
Authorities in Venezuela are assessing the effects of the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook much of Colombia this Monday in their border states of Táchira and Zulia and reported that, so far, there are no victims or serious damage.
“So far, Civil Protection is evaluating and receiving reports on infrastructure in the state without any serious issues at the moment, much less human damage to regret,” said the governor of Táchira (west), Freddy Bernal, on his X account.
Bernal emphasized that when these types of events occur, “there is almost always a smaller aftershock,” so he called on the population to remain alert. (Efe)
Mayor of Cali reports at least 25 buildings severely affected
The mayor of Cali, Alejandro Eder, reported on Caracol Radio that at least 25 buildings have been severely affected. Citizens and authorities have reported that people are trapped under the rubble.
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“I ask the public to remain calm. Check if there are apparent structural damages in your buildings. If you do not feel safe, if you see very large cracks, please leave the building,” the mayor added on social media.
The president sends a message of solidarity to those affected: “You are not alone”
The president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, has sent a message of solidarity to those affected by the earthquake. “You are not alone. Colombia has a president who cares about his people and will do everything in his power to help them in the most difficult moments,” he said in a video shared on his social media.
The president is heading to Bogotá to lead an emergency meeting at the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD). “I have ordered the suspension of all my agenda in the capital of the Republic to focus on the natural disaster that today strikes our suffering Colombian people,” he declared. “I will personally lead these actions to bring solutions to our people in Chocó, the Coffee Axis, and other areas of the country,” he declared.
Bogotá sends 100 rescuers to the most affected cities
“No serious structural damage has been reported in Bogotá, so our capacities are at the service of the country,” announced Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán from the capital. Bogotá sent 100 rescuers, and Medellín is expected to do the same.
Closure of two of the roads closest to the affected cities
Two roads near two of the most affected cities, Cali and Manizales, in western Colombia, are closed. Caracol Radio reports that there was a rockslide on the Cali-Loboguerrero road.
Death toll rises to 22, according to the mayors of Manizales, Pereira, and Buenaventura
At least 22 people have died in Manizales, Pereira, and Buenaventura, three of the cities most affected. The mayor of Manizales (Cauca), Jorge Eduardo Rojas, said on Caracol Radio that there are three deaths in his city. The mayor of Pereira (Risaralda), Mauricio Salazar, confirmed 18. Of these, three were at Matecaña International Airport. The mayor of Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca), Ligia del Carmen Córdoba, reported on the same station that there is one death in her city.
At least 18 dead in Pereira
The mayor of Pereira, Mauricio Salazar Peláez, has confirmed that there are at least 18 dead in his city. The numbers are expected to rise, as many people may still be trapped under the rubble. (Reuters)
Injuries and collapsed buildings in the Colombian city of Quibdó due to the earthquake
The earthquake that affected western Colombia this Monday caused several injuries and collapsed buildings in the Colombian city of Quibdó, capital of the Chocó department, located on the Pacific coast, the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook much of the country.
“We just experienced a serious seismic event in the department of Chocó. Although the epicenter was San José del Palmar, in the capital Quibdó there are injuries and severe damage to buildings,” said the governor of Chocó, Nubia Carolina Córdoba, on her X account. (EFE)
The US Geological Survey estimates a 35% probability of between 100 and 1,000 fatalities
The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake recorded at 7:34 a.m. (local time, 15:34 in mainland Spain) in the department of Chocó (Colombia) reached a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was located in the town of San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, located on the Pacific coast, at a depth of 82 kilometers. The US agency estimates a 35% probability that the disaster caused between 100 and 1,000 fatalities. In the area most affected by the earthquake, which the USGS ranks seventh on a scale of 10 (with 10 being the most severe), about 1.9 million people live, according to the agency.
EARTHQUAKES
The Earthquake in Colombia, in images
A strong tremor shakes the center and west of the country with a magnitude of 7.4.
You can see the full photo gallery here
De la Espriella convenes an emergency committee to address earthquake damage
The Colombian president, Abelardo de la Espriella, convened an emergency committee this Monday to address the damage caused by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook much of the country and announced that he will travel to Pereira, one of the most affected cities, to support those affected.
“I have ordered the establishment of a Unified Command Post to coordinate the response to the damage and the victims,” the president assured on the social network X.
“You are not alone. The State is present and acting,” said De la Espriella, who took office three days ago in the city of Cali, another of the areas affected by the tremor. (Efe)
At least six Colombian airports suffered damage from the earthquake
At least six Colombian airports have suffered damage from the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook much of the country this Monday, with severe impacts in several cities in the west and center, according to the Civil Aeronautics Authority (Aerocivil).
“There are damages at the airports of Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura. For safety, air operations at these terminals remain suspended until structural damage to the infrastructure is assessed,” Aerocivil said in a statement. (Efe)
At least 20 buildings collapsed in Cali, site of the recent presidential inauguration
At least 20 buildings have suffered severe damage in the city of Cali, which three days ago was the scene of the inauguration of the new Colombian president, Abelardo de la Espriella, as a result of the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook most of the country this Monday, with the epicenter in the Pacific area.
“People of Cali, at the moment we have at least 20 collapsed structures in Cali, with people trapped, we are already leading this emergency with all the rescue organizations of Cali,” said the mayor of Cali, Alejandro Eder, on his X account.
One of the affected buildings was the Molino Rojo motel, located on the Southeastern Highway, which has practically collapsed, and the facades of other buildings in the downtown and Panamerican Courts area have also suffered damage.
In the Capri neighborhood, several people may be trapped due to the collapse of a building, and a similar situation is happening in a building located in the Roosevelt Avenue area, where the structure has been reduced to rubble.
Eder, who just three days ago hosted national and international authorities who came to this city, capital of the Valle del Cauca department, for the inauguration of the new president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, said he has asked “the mayor of Bogotá and the mayor of Medellín for support with rescuers.” (Efe)
Tremors
Earthquake: a 7.4 quake shakes Colombia
A strong earthquake has affected the center and west of Colombia. The shaking lasted four minutes and started at 7:34 a.m. According to preliminary information from the Colombian Geological Service, its epicenter was in the western part of the country, in the municipality of San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó, and it had a magnitude of 7.4. It is the largest magnitude earthquake in the country in the last decade.
You can read the full information here
Good afternoon. We begin the narration of the latest news on the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that shook western Colombia. So far, no victims have been reported, but there are people trapped in collapsed buildings, material damage, and the closure of several airports. There is no tsunami alert.
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