A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 47 people, trapping residents beneath debris from collapsed buildings and forcing people to evacuate their homes as far away as the capital, Bogota.
The epicenter was located in San Jose del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in the Choco region, roughly 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Bogota, according to the U.S. Geological Survey and Colombia’s geological agency. The USGS said the quake struck at a depth of 66 miles (107 kilometers). It was also felt in neighboring Ecuador and Panama, although only minimal damage was reported there.
Local authorities confirmed that 18 people were killed in Pereira, two in Manizales and 27 in the Valle del Cauca department, home to Colombia’s third-largest city, Cali. The governor said at least three of those killed in Valle del Cauca were children.
The earthquake caused widespread destruction in western cities including Pereira, Quibdo, Cali and Manizales. Residents and rescue teams searched through the rubble of collapsed structures as authorities warned of possible aftershocks. Colombia’s interior minister said more than 20 municipalities had been affected.
Strongest earthquake in Colombia in a decade
Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, said he saw clouds of dust rise across the city as buildings collapsed. Residents and rescue workers were searching the rubble for survivors.
“My entire house shook. I’ve never lived through such a powerful earthquake,” he said. “We’re thanking God we’re alive.”
The Colombian Geological Service said the earthquake was the strongest recorded in the country in the past decade. It was followed by two aftershocks measuring 2.8 and 4.8 in magnitude.
Authorities also suspended flights at airports in Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura and Pereira.
The earthquake left many Colombians shaken after two consecutive quakes devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 5,000 people. As buildings collapsed in Colombia, families in Venezuela were still searching the ruins for the bodies of relatives killed in the earlier earthquakes.
In Pereira, photos and videos carried by local media showed sections of the airport ceiling collapsing onto travelers who had taken shelter while others screamed and ran through the rubble in panic.
Pereira Mayor Mauricio Salazar told a local radio station that at least 18 people had died and that many others remained trapped beneath “a massive quantity of collapsed buildings.”
In nearby Manizales, a city surrounded by Colombia’s coffee-producing mountains, one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed onto the nave. Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas confirmed two deaths in the city and urged residents to remain outside because of the risk of aftershocks.
Authorities in rural Choco, where the earthquake was centered, reported injuries and damaged buildings in the regional capital but provided few details.
In Cali, a city of about 2 million people, Mayor Alejandro Eder said residents were trapped inside at least 19 collapsed buildings.
Powerful earthquakes rare in Colombia
Small earthquakes, locally known as “temblores,” are common in central and western Colombia, but earthquakes above magnitude 6.0 are rare. A 6.2-magnitude earthquake near Armenia in 1999 killed more than 1,100 people.
Colombia’s newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella said Monday that he had personally taken charge of the government’s response to the emergency in San Jose del Palmar.
“You are not alone. The state is present and taking action,” he said.
The earthquake response marks the first major challenge for de la Espriella, a Trump ally who was sworn in as president over the weekend.
Messages of support came from leaders across the Americas, including those of Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, El Salvador and the United States, while several countries offered assistance.
“The Trump administration is closely monitoring the large earthquake that struck Colombia and stands ready to support the people of Colombia” and de la Espriella, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X.