A powerful earthquake has rocked Colombia, toppling buildings and leaving people trapped beneath rubble in several parts of the country.
Colombia’s geological service reported that the quake struck at 7.30am local time, or 1.30pm in the UK, registering a magnitude of 7.4 at a depth of around 60 miles.
Officials placed the epicentre in San Jose Del Palmar, roughly 250 miles west of Bogota, and described it as the strongest earthquake Colombia has experienced in the past ten years.
Distressing videos emerging from across Colombia showed building fronts breaking apart as terrified residents gathered in the streets, struggling to keep their balance while the ground shook violently beneath them.
The tremor was felt well beyond Colombia’s borders, reaching Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela, where two destructive earthquakes struck only months earlier. In Bogota, the shaking triggered evacuations from buildings across the capital.
Authorities said 18 people were killed in Pereira after the earthquakes, while at least two deaths were reported in Manizales, west of Bogota.
In Cali, a major western Colombian city home to around 2.3 million residents, at least 20 buildings were reported to have collapsed in the aftermath of the earthquake.
Hospitals in Cali were also evacuated, with images showing lines of elderly patients lying on beds outside as staff moved them to safety.
In Choco, residents were seen running for their lives as entire buildings collapsed around them.
As two men were seen picking up a woman who had fallen, a man was screaming: ‘Oh my God!’
People run out of the hospital building during an earthquake in Cali, Colombia, on August 10, 2026
In Choco, residents were seen running for their lives as entire buildings collapsed around them
Footage showed one of the spires of Manizales Cathedral collapsing in the earthquake
President Abelardo de la Espriella announced the establishment of an emergency centre at the epicentre to support those affected, adding: ‘You are not alone. You have a President who cares deeply for his people and who will do everything necessary to protect you, support you, and move forward together in rebuilding the affected regions.’
Choco governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi said on X: ‘We have just experienced a major earthquake in the department of Choco. We are concerned about aftershocks.
‘Although the epicentre was near San Jose del Palmar, there are injuries and significant damage to buildings in the capital, Quibdo. We are already carrying out a damage assessment and will issue the first official report shortly.’
The governor of neighbouring Risaralda province, Juan Diego Patino, told local Blu Radio there was ‘serious damage to some buildings’ in Pereira, the provincial capital.
‘What has just occurred is very severe. The images are truly shocking, with people injured and building facades collapsed,’ he said.
Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said it was in contact with local authorities to verify potential damage.
Bogota’s mayor, Carlos Galan, said on X there was no major damage in the capital.
In Cali, a large crowd of people were seen gathered around the wreckage of a collapsed building.
They were seen frantically trying to pull pieces of rubble away to reach people trapped underneath.
Reuters witnesses in the Venezuelan border state of Tachira and the central-western city of Barquisimeto reported the quake had been felt there.
Footage showed one of the spires of Manizales Cathedral collapsing in the earthquake, leaving it leaning heavily on the roof of the building.
Patients are evacuated outside a hospital after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, on August 10, 2026.
Vehicles damaged by a collapsed wall are seen following an earthquake in Cali, Colombia, August 10 2026
Schools and universities in the city have been suspended until further notice, while the mayor told citizens to return home and avoid travelling if possible.
The mayor’s office added: ‘A temporary shelter has been set up at the Greater Coliseum for people who need a safe place. Those who require it can go to this space.’
Following the quake UAEAC, the country’s aviation authority, said flights from six airports had been suspended.
UAEAC said damage was reported at the airports of Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura.
‘There is no electricity or cell phone coverage. It was strong, really strong. Things fell in my house,’ Martha Estrada, a 66 year old resident of the Eje Cafetero region told AFP.
Following the earthquake, Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote on X: ‘We are following with concern the news about the earthquake that has struck Colombia. I have offered my counterpart, Colombia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Omar Bula, all the assistance that Israel can provide.
‘Israel is prepared to help Colombia in whatever is needed. My thoughts and prayers are with the Colombian people in these difficult times.’
Venezuela was hit by devastating twin earthquakes in June, which killed more than 6,000 people, mostly on the coast near the capital, Caracas.
Earthquakes are common in Colombia due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic belt where the Earth’s plates meet.
Colombia’s geological service said the magnitude of the quake, which struck at 7.30am local time (1.30pm UK time), was 7.4 and that its depth was 60 miles
Vehicles damaged by a collapsed wall are seen following an earthquake in Cali, Colombia, August 10 2026
About 90 per cent of the world’s largest earthquakes occur within the belt.
The southeastern and easternmost areas of Colombia are not as seismically active as the rest of the country.
Colombia’s most devastating earthquake happened in August 1868, off the coast of Equador, and killed about 70,000 people.
More to follow.
