More Than 132 Dead After 7.4-Magnitude Colombia Earthquake

By Aurax Radio | August 11, 2026 | 2 min read

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, killing more than 132 people and injuring hundreds as rescuers searched damaged buildings for survivors. The quake caused widespread destruction across several cities and towns, with authorities warning that the death toll could continue to rise as emergency crews reach more affected areas.

Emergency personnel inspect damaged buildings and debris on a street in western Colombia following the earthquake.

Emergency crews assess damage in western Colombia after the powerful earthquake caused widespread structural destruction.

The earthquake struck Monday in western Colombia near the department of Chocó and was felt across a wide section of the country, including Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdó. Hundreds of buildings were damaged or destroyed, while residents and emergency personnel searched through collapsed structures for people trapped beneath the rubble. In Cali, part of a hospital was damaged, forcing patients to be treated outside, while damage was also reported at a historic cathedral in Manizales. The response involved soldiers, police, firefighters, medical personnel and civilian volunteers, with rescue operations complicated in some rural areas by difficult terrain, damaged infrastructure and communication problems.

The disaster prompted a broad national emergency response as officials worked to establish the full scale of the damage and locate missing residents. Early assessments indicated that roughly 1,600 buildings had been damaged or collapsed, while hundreds of people were injured. The earthquake also brought renewed attention to Colombia's vulnerability to major seismic events, particularly in the country's mountainous western regions. Colombia experienced one of its deadliest modern earthquakes in 1999, when a magnitude 6.2 quake struck the coffee-growing region around Armenia and killed more than 1,000 people. The 2026 earthquake also came after major earthquakes in neighboring Venezuela earlier this year that caused thousands of deaths, adding to the region's recent experience with large-scale seismic disasters.

Sources: Reuters, The Associated Press, BBC, Al Jazeera and CNN.

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