A devastating magnitude 7.4 earthquake—one of the strongest to strike Colombia in recent years—has left at least 132 people dead and over 480 injured, prompting the government to declare a state of national disaster as emergency teams race to rescue victims trapped beneath shattered infrastructure.

The powerful tremor struck at 7:34 am local time on Monday at a depth of 103 kilometers (64 miles) in Chocó province, according to Colombia's geological service.

Although the epicenter was located near the village of San José del Palmar, local Mayor León Fabio Marín Moncada confirmed that no fatalities or injuries were reported in the village itself, despite road access being severely compromised by ground damage.

Vast stretches of western Colombia experienced intense shaking, with the Colombia's Association of Capital Cities confirming that casualties and injuries surged across multiple urban centers.

Pereira, situated roughly 55 kilometers (34 miles) from the epicenter, emerged as one of the most severely devastated cities.
Verified footage captured the moment a building collapsed in Plaza Bolívar, the city's main square, sending clouds of dust and heavy debris across the plaza.

Authorities in Pereira’s metropolitan area reported at least 40 fatalities and confirmed that 65 buildings collapsed, with victims feared trapped inside 15 of those destroyed structures.

To maintain order during emergency operations, officials imposed a curfew in parts of Pereira until 5 am Tuesday.

Heavy destruction was also documented in Cali, located approximately 160 kilometers south of Pereira and 200 kilometers from the epicenter, where 32 buildings caved in.

London resident Dan Cutler, 29, who was traveling through Cali with his partner, described fleeing their hotel in pajamas after being jolted awake.

"I've never experienced anything like it," he recounted, noting that while their hotel suffered no structural failure, walls cracked and plaster crumbled around them.

Additional deaths were confirmed across Manizales, Quibdó, Medellín, and throughout the broader Chocó and Valle del Cauca regions.

In Manizales, where at least two people lost their lives, visitor Angélica Ávila described the scene as cracks ripped through her hotel walls.

"Everyone was screaming," she told the news outlet, recalling falling bricks and dust billowing from neighboring structures.

Local journalist and meteorologist Luis Felipe Molina noted that while his residence endured the quake thanks to strict local seismic building codes, the shaking dislodged books, shattered glass, and triggered widespread panic.

The seismic event inflicted widespread operational damage on transport networks.

Colombia's aviation authority reported structural impairment at several regional airfields, including facilities in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura.

In the capital city of Bogotá, violent shaking caused trees and traffic signals to sway and left fissures in several buildings, though major infrastructure remained largely intact.

The tremors were strong enough to be felt in neighboring Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama, coming less than two months after double quakes in northern Venezuela claimed over 6,300 lives.

Newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella, who assumed office just days earlier on Friday, officially declared a national disaster, granting the administration emergency powers to mobilize resources and reallocate funding.

The president confirmed that more than 1,500 homes suffered structural damage.

International aid offers poured in as the scope of the crisis widened.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed that Washington is monitoring conditions and stands ready to render assistance, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed the activation of the EU's Copernicus satellite system to assist rescue operations.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele also expressed solidarity, offering specialist personnel and equipment.

According to estimates by the US Geological Survey, approximately 1.5 million people felt severe shaking near magnitude 7.

Seismic experts explained that while deep-focus earthquakes like Monday's typically cause less surface destruction than shallow quakes, they still discharge sufficient energy to dismantle buildings and can generate fewer, but potentially potent, aftershocks.

Source: BBC