Colombia declared a state of emergency on Monday, August 10, after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit the country, killing at least 188 people, injuring 2595 and destroying hundreds of buildings.
According to the Colombian Geological Service (CGS), the quake struck at 07:34 am local time (12:34 GMT) with an epicentre in San José del Palmar – a small town in the Chocó region with a population of 4,800 people, located 400 kilometres west of the capital Bogotá.
“The earthquake affected nine departments and was felt in all 32 capital cities, where evacuations and damage were reported,” said Javier Pava, director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management.
The most heavily impacted area was the country’s coffee-growing region, or the so-called Eje Cafetero (‘coffee axis’), which is known for its lush green hills and coffee plantations.
Local sources reported severe structural damage in Pereira, Manizales and Armenia, with many buildings collapsing, trapping dozens under the rubble.
The cataclysmic quake also caused significant destruction in Quibdó and Cali, with tremors felt across Medellín, Bogotá and neighbouring Panama, Ecuador and Venezuela.
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The strongest quake in the past ten years
According to Julio Fierro Morales, director of the CGS, this was “the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the country in the last decade”.
Colombia’s newly elected President, Abelardo de la Espriella, who was just sworn in on August 7, declared a national disaster.
He announced the creation of an emergency command centre, where he would coordinate the relief efforts to help the affected communities.
Government officials said the military has been deployed to the worst-hit regions to assist the emergency services in saving people that remain trapped underneath the debris.
“We aren’t going to leave people alone. They are in our hearts, and we are going to tend to people with our full determination,” the President said.
“To the Colombians who are going through difficult times today, I want to say: You are not alone,” De la Espriella added.
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Death toll and infrastructure damage
The Colombian Association of Capital Cities (Asocapitales) confirmed that, as of Tuesday, August 11, 188 people have lost their lives while nearly 2,600 sustained severe injuries.
Initial assessments have revealed that 243 buildings have collapsed entirely whilst another 8300 have sustained major structural damage.
Approximately 3900 people have been reported missing, prompting families to share photos of their loved ones online in the hope of receiving information about their whereabouts.
“We are afraid. We hope that is not the case, that he is all right and that it is only a communication failure. But we haven’t heard anything from him,” said a woman about her missing uncle, who lived in a village near the epicentre of the earthquake.
Other countries offer help
As the scale of the devastation has gradually become apparent, the international community has reached out to the Colombian government, offering to send rescue teams and provide humanitarian aid.
The US State Department announced on X that it will send $15.5 million for “emergency shelter, food, protection and earthquake assessments”, while the United Nations, Israel, France, Venezuela, Ecuador, El Salvador, Chile, Mexico and Panama expressed their support for the people of Colombia and pledged to help.
“We put at your disposal our USAR [Urban Search and Rescue] team: 47 rescuers, specialised dogs, and equipment with autonomy to operate for seven days. We are ready to mobilise when you require,” said the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa.
The European Union has assigned €100,000 to aid emergency efforts, while the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said the block has “mobilised Copernicus, our satellite service, to help with rescue operations”.
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