At least 132 killed after magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes Colombia

CALI, COLOMBIA - AUG. 10, 2026: At least 132 people were killed Monday after a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, causing buildings to collapse and triggering large-scale rescue operations across multiple cities.At least 570 people were also injured, according to the Colombian Association of Capital Cities.President Abelardo De La Espriella told reporters earlier that the disaster caused damage to 1,575 homes, with 37 completely destroyed, 61 collapsed buildings, 18 damaged health centers, 52 damaged educational centers, 17 damaged community centers and 18 damaged roads.The Colombian government has declared a national disaster situation to strengthen the mobilization and coordination of institutional capacities to address the emergency.The earthquake occurred at 7.34 a.m. local time (1234GMT), with the epicenter located approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) east of the town of San Jose del Palmar, according to data from the US Geological Survey. The agency reported that the quake originated at a depth of 107 kilometers (66.5 miles).A magnitude 5.0 aftershock struck at 8.18 a.m. (1318GMT) approximately 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) west of San Jose del Palmar. The municipality, located in the Choco Department, has a population of around 4,800 and sits 1,288 meters (4,225 feet) above sea level.(Footage by Edwin Rodriguez Pipicano/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)