Please follow us on Truth Social, X, YouTube, Minds, Telegram, Rumble, GETTR, Gab, Instagram
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, killing at least 132 people, injuring more than 700, and sending three hospitals and dozens of schools crashing to the ground in what Colombia Geological Service described, per Reuters, as the strongest earthquake to hit the country this century.
The quake epicenter was reported in San Jose del Palmar, in the department of Choco. Tremors were felt across the major population centers including Bogota, Medellin, Cali, Pereira, Armenia, Manizales and Quibdo, all of which remain under red alert, the highest disaster level, according to Colombia Association of Capital Cities.
Newly inaugurated President Abelardo De La Espriella declared a national disaster within hours of the strike and activated the Unified Command Center. Speaking to the nation, he said 700 people had been injured, an estimated 5,000 homes damaged or destroyed, 188 people remain missing, three hospitals collapsed outright, and 39 schools were structurally compromised.
Seven airports have suspended operations. Roads, aqueducts, energy and telecommunications have been knocked out across the hardest-hit zones, complicating rescue operations. Valle del Cauca Governor Dilian Francisca Toro confirmed 27 deaths in her region alone, including three children, and reported that the University Hospital of the Valley suffered structural collapse, with medical staff evacuating newborns and infants to outdoor triage areas. Footage verified by NBC News showed hospital workers tending to infants in bassinets on open ground outside the stricken facility.
In Choco, Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi reported at least 13 dead and 84 injured in the provincial capital of Quibdo.
Colombia sits atop the juncture of the South American, Caribbean, and Nazca tectonic plates, making it one of the seismically most active nations in the Western Hemisphere. The quake comes just days after President De La Espriella was inaugurated, immediately placing his new administration in emergency footing.
The Colombian government has not yet issued an official request for international assistance. The United States Geological Survey classified the quake as a major seismic event and confirmed no tsunami threat to coastal areas.
As of early Tuesday morning, rescue operations continue across collapsed structures in Pereira and Cali. The death toll, per Colombia Association of Capital Cities, is expected to rise as search crews reach more remote communities in Choco and Valle del Cauca.
