More than 3,000 people were reported missing in Colombia on Tuesday after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake devastated parts of the country, setting off an urgent search-and-rescue effort as the Trump administration pledged $15.5 million in emergency aid.
Images and videos from Colombia showed emergency crews digging through shattered concrete, twisted metal and collapsed buildings in hopes of finding survivors. Local officials in Cali, Pereira, Chocó and Manizales said Tuesday that at least 179 people had been killed across those four areas. Colombia’s federal government, which last revised its toll in the hours after the quake struck Monday, has put the number of dead at at least 111, according to The Associated Press.
“We are united in prayer with the Colombian people and stand ready to support President Abelardo De la Espriella and his government as they assess the needs on the ground,” the State Department said in a post on X.
The department said the Trump administration is providing “$15.5 million in funding for emergency shelter, food, protection, and earthquake assessments.”
Rescue workers and volunteers remove debris in Pereira, Colombia, on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, one day after the earthquake struck. (Miguel Angel Lopez/AP)
Nationwide, roughly 1,600 buildings have been reported damaged or destroyed, while the number of missing has climbed above 3,000, the AP reported.
A man surveys a collapsed building in Manizales, Colombia, after the earthquake on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (Dario Cardona/AP)
President Abelardo De la Espriella, sworn into office only days before the disaster, traveled Monday night to Quibdó, the capital of Chocó, where he said he was mobilizing “the entire military and police apparatus” for the response, including engineers, rescue teams and search dogs.
“Chocó will never again be the ‘land of the forgotten,’” he said.
Residents and rescue workers search through the rubble after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (Santiago Saldarriaga/AP)
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was centered in San José del Palmar, a town located within the western Chocó region, which borders the Pacific Ocean.
In a post on X, De la Espriella, added that, “The National Government stands with the people of Chocó.”
Rescue workers cut through debris as they search for survivors the day after an earthquake struck Cali, Colombia, on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (Ivan Valencia/AP)
“Immediate economic resources and humanitarian aid have already been allocated to support the more than 1,400 affected families and individuals,” he added. “The injured and those requiring priority medical attention are being transferred to Medellín with all available hospital capacity.”
