At least 80 people were reported dead after a powerful earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale shook central and western Colombia on Monday morning. The tremors began at 7.34 am local time and lasted four minutes, according to the Colombian Geological Service, which said the epicenter was located in the western municipality of San José del Palmar, located in a rural, mountainous area in the Chocó department.
The strongest quake recorded in the country in the last decade was felt as far as Panama and Ecuador, and comes less than two months after neighboring Venezuela experienced two back-to-back earthquakes that have killed over 6,000 people.
So far, authorities in Cali, Manizales, Pereira, Armenia and Buenaventura have reported fatalities and structural damage. Cali, Pereira, Armenia and Manizales are together home to over 3.5 million people, making it likely that the casualty count will keep rising.
The newly inaugurated president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, said in a message on the social platform X that a Unified Command Center has been set up to coordinate action. Through this center the government has declared a national disaster, which will allow resources to be mobilized faster; however, authorities have stopped short of declaring a state of economic and social emergency, which would allow the president to issue decrees.
In Cali, Mayor Alejandro Eder said at least 25 buildings have collapsed “with people trapped inside” and said he has asked authorities in Bogotá and Medellín to send rescue workers. In a message posted on X, he has asked citizens to “remain calm and walk out of buildings” if they see any large cracks.
Colombia is a country at high risk for quakes as it sits on three tectonic plates. There is an average of 50,000 tremors a month, but most of them are too weak to be felt by human beings. In 1999, a magnitude 6.2 quake shook the city of Armenia, killing nearly 1,000 people. Earlier, in 1983, a quake in Popayán resulted in 287 fatalities.
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