BBC News
· collected 2026-08-11 · by José Carlos Cueto , Vanessa Buschschlüter, Michael Sheils McNamee
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake has struck western Colombia, killing at least 132 people and injuring at least 570, with the death toll likely to rise as more are feared trapped under collapsed buildings. The quake, which occurred on an unspecified date and time, had its epicentre near the village of San José del Palmar in Chocó province, causing widespread damage across a vast area stretching hundreds of miles. Many deaths have been concentrated in the city of Pereira, where 67 people are reported dead and 65 buildings have collapsed, with people believed to be trapped in 15 of them. The quake was felt as far away as Manizales, Quibdó, Medellín, and Cali, which each suffered varying degrees of damage.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
- Published
At least 132 people are dead and a state of emergency has been declared after Colombia was hit by one of its largest earthquakes in years.
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Colombia → publish → years
The death toll is likely to rise, with more feared trapped under collapsed buildings.
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more → rise → buildings
The magnitude 7.4 quake struck at 07:34 (12:34 GMT) at a depth of 103km (64 miles) in Chocó province, the country's geological service said.
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service → strike → province
It was felt across an enormous area, stretching for hundreds of miles across western Colombia.
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It → feel → Colombia
Many of the deaths have been concentrated in the city of Pereira, in Colombia's coffee-growing region, with surrounding cities and the Valle del Cauca region also hit hard.
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cities → concentrate → region
The epicentre of the quake was near the village of San José del Palmar, in Chocó province, but local mayor León Fabio Marín Moncada said that there had miraculously been no deaths or injuries - despite the roads in and out being damaged.
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Moncada → say → roads
At least 570 people were injured in the quakes, Colombia's Association of Capital Cities wrote in a statement update on Monday.
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Association → injure → Monday
About 55km (34 miles) from the epicentre of the earthquake, the city of Pereira saw some of the worst damage.
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city → see → damage
Videos verified by the BBC show at least one building collapsing in Plaza Bolívar, the city's main square, with scattered debris and dust across the open space where many people had gathered.
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people → verify → space
Local authorities have reported at least 67 people dead in the city's metropolitan area, with 65 collapsed buildings.
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people → report → buildings
People are believed to be trapped in 15 of them.
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People → believe → them
Thirty-two buildings collapsed in Cali, located about 160km south of Pereira and about 200km from the epicentre.
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buildings → collapse → epicentre
Being woken by the earthquake, he told the BBC: "I've never experienced anything like it."
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I → wake → it
"We sprinted outside in our pyjamas.
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We → sprint → pyjamas
There's no major structural damage to the hotel, but there are surface cracks in the walls, and paint and plaster have peeled off," he says.
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he → be → walls
At least two people have died in Manizales.
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people → die → Manizales
Speaking to BBC World Service, Angélica Ávila said she had been staying in a hotel in Manizales.
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she → speak → Manizales
She said as the earthquake hit, cracks appeared in the walls.
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cracks → say → walls
"Everyone was screaming... I saw dust coming out of the neighbouring buildings, and bricks were falling off the walls," she said.
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she → scream → walls
Journalist and meteorologist Luis Felipe Molina, from Manizales, was at home when the earthquake struck - about 150km from the epicentre.
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earthquake → strike → epicentre
He explained that due to previous earthquakes, the city has "very strict seismic-resistant building regulations" - so his building was able to resist the impact.
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building → explain → impact
"I have 450 books and only a few were left standing on the shelves.
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few → have → shelves
You could hear glass breaking and people screaming," he told BBC Mundo.
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he → hear → Mundo
The country's aviation authority has reported damage at several regional airports, including those in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura.
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authority → report → Pereira
In the capital, Bogotá, trees and traffic lights shook violently, with reports of cracks in buildings but so far none of any serious damage to the city's infrastructure.
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trees → shake → infrastructure
Tremors were felt as far away as neighbouring Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.
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Tremors → feel → Venezuela
The quake comes less than two months after twin quakes devastated the north of Venezuela, killing more than 6,300 people.
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quakes → come → people
Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella has declared a national disaster situation, creating special powers to react to the emergency, including to reallocate budgets.
Having only taken up the role on Friday, the new president is immediately faced with a potentially legacy-defining event.
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president → declare → event
Along with the dead, he confirmed that more than 1,500 homes had been damaged.
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homes → confirm → dead
As the extent of the damage has begun to emerge, world leaders have come forward to offer support.
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leaders → begin → support
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was "closely monitoring" the earthquake, and stood "ready to support", while EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the EU's Copernicus satellite was being used in the rescue operation.
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satellite → say → operation
The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, sent a message of solidarity to the Colombian people and offered personnel and equipment for rescue efforts.
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president → send → efforts
According to the US Geological Survey, an estimated 1.5 million people felt shaking close to magnitude seven.
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people → accord → magnitude
It stated that deep earthquakes, like the one which hit on Monday, are usually less dangerous than earthquakes which break closer to the Earth's surface.
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which → state → surface
But they can release energy in a way which is damaging to buildings, with fewer but potentially stronger aftershocks.
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which → release → aftershocks
