Western Colombia wakes to devastation after a powerful 7.4 quake.
JUST IN: A devastating magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia early Monday, August 10, killing at least 111 people as rescue crews continued searching damaged and collapsed buildings across the region.
The earthquake was centered near San José del Palmar in the Chocó department, with major damage reported across cities including Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdó. Hundreds of buildings were damaged, dozens collapsed completely, and multiple airports in western Colombia suspended operations.
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One of the quake’s most dramatic scenes came from Manizales, where a tower of the city’s landmark Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary collapsed. The neo-Gothic cathedral was built between 1928 and 1939 and has long been one of the city’s defining structures.
The destruction is far broader than one landmark. Officials reported people trapped beneath rubble in several cities, while emergency crews and residents worked through collapsed structures looking for survivors. Colombia declared a national disaster as the scale of the damage became clearer through the day.
The quake was also felt beyond western Colombia, including in Bogotá and neighboring countries such as Ecuador and Panama. Authorities continued warning residents about aftershocks and urged people to stay away from unstable structures while rescue operations remained active.
With the death toll already climbing through Monday afternoon, the story remains developing. INYIM will keep the language here tied to confirmed figures rather than outrunning the rescue effort with speculation.
See more live reports at our INYIM Live Hub.
Watch the 7.4-Magnitude Earthquake Strike Colombia
The verified YouTube Short shows social-media footage from the earthquake, including damage to a church façade as the shaking hits.
Source: Associated Press; Reuters; USGS; YouTube.
