Colombia earthquake: 7.4 magnitude strikes, serious damage

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake rocked western Colombia on Monday, sending tremors across the nation and into neighboring Ecuador, collapsing at least 20 buildings in the city of Cali and trapping people inside, according to officials. The quake struck near San Jose Del Palmar, a municipality in the Choco region roughly 250 miles west of Bogota, at a depth of 66 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

Rescue efforts in Cali

Mayor Alejandro Eder said at least 20 buildings collapsed in Cali, with people trapped inside. He told reporters that the city has requested search-and-rescue teams from Bogota and Medellin to aid in the operation. Emergency crews were working through the rubble to reach survivors, though the full scale of casualties remained unclear.In the regional capital of Choco, Governor Nubia Córdoba wrote on social media that “there are injuries and serious damage to buildings,” without providing further details. The epicenter’s location in a mountainous, less densely populated area may have limited the scope of destruction compared to a quake in a major urban center.

Regional shaking and response

The USGS said the quake struck at a depth of 66 miles, which typically disperses energy over a wider area but can reduce surface shaking in some cases. Still, reports indicated that residents in Bogota, Medellin, and Quito, Ecuador, evacuated homes and office buildings as alarms sounded. Social media footage showed crowds gathered on streets, with some cracks visible on older structures.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro was expected to address the nation later in the day, according to local media. The national disaster agency has been deployed to affected areas, but communication with remote villages around the epicenter remained sporadic. The Choco region, a biodiversity hotspot on the Pacific coast, faces logistical challenges due to limited road access and dense jungle terrain.

A region on edge

Monday’s earthquake follows two back-to-back major quakes in Venezuela in late June, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitudes. Those temblors destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed more than 5,000 people, magnifying concerns about preparedness across the northern Andes. Geologists note that the region sits atop several active fault lines, including the Pacific Ring of Fire, making powerful earthquakes an ongoing threat.

In Cali, a city of more than 2 million, residents described scenes of panic as building facades crumbled and windows shattered. “We felt everything moving, and then we heard screaming,” one eyewitness told local radio, though the report could not be independently verified. The mayor’s office said hospitals were on high alert and temporary shelters were being set up for displaced families.

Next steps

As rescue teams work through the night, the immediate priority is locating survivors in Cali and assessing damage in remote Choco villages. The Colombian government will likely need to allocate emergency funds for reconstruction and could request international assistance. With aftershocks possible in the coming days, officials are urging residents to remain vigilant. The full extent of the destruction, both human and structural, may not be known for days, but the quake is a stark reminder of the region’s seismic vulnerability and the critical need for resilient infrastructure.