World · Breaking

Race Against Time in Colombia: Rescuers Search for Survivors as Powerful 7.4-Magnitude Earthquake Kills at Least 132

Devastation hits western coffee-growing region and coastal cities, prompting a state of emergency, overnight curfews, and international aid pledges.

By 19Network Editorial Team · Aug 11, 2026 · 5 min read

Volunteers and emergency crews form human chains through rubble and darkened streets across Pereira, Cali, and Quibdo following the country's strongest quake in a decade.

Key Takeaways

A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia at a depth of 110 km, killing at least 132 people and injuring over 570 across major cities.
Hardest-hit areas include Pereira, Manizales, Cali, and Quibdo, where infrastructure, power grids, and historical monuments suffered catastrophic damage.
Newly sworn-in President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national state of emergency, mobilizing military, emergency services, and community volunteer chains.
Global solidarity poured in immediately, with the United States pledging $15.5 million in emergency relief, the European Union activating satellite tracing, and nations including the UAE expressing strong support.
An expert seismic perspective indicates deep intraplate tectonic activity within the Nazca plate, following another major regional quake in South America earlier this season.

BOGOTA / DUBAI — Rescuers, military personnel, and thousands of civilian volunteers worked through the night with flashlights, picks, and bare hands across western Colombia after a violent 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the nation, killing at least 132 people and injuring more than 570. The powerful tremor—the strongest to strike Colombia in a decade—hit shortly after 7:30 a.m. local time, sending millions of terrified residents pouring into streets from the capital Bogota to coastal department capitals. Across the heartland of Colombia’s famous coffee-growing region, major municipal centers were plunged into power outages, structural collapse, and widespread panic. Newly inaugurated Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, taking decisive command just three days into his presidential term, declared a national state of emergency. Addressing the nation, President de la Espriella promised an all-hands response from state agencies, military engineers, and disaster relief task forces to reach victims trapped under collapsed concrete structures. Epicenter of Chaos: Pereira and the Western Hubs The impact was felt most acutely in urban centers situated across the Andes and…