Rescuers are racing Tuesday to find survivors trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia.
Local authorities reported at least 220 deaths and hundreds more people injured in the Monday morning quake, with both numbers expected to rise. In the city of Cali, where 95 people were killed and 949 injured, 239 people remain trapped under collapsed buildings, Mayor Alejandro Eder said Tuesday morning.
Colombia’s armed forces shared images of a search underway in Cali, where dogs and drones equipped with thermal cameras were being used to identify victims under the rubble.
BRIAD – #AEstaHora | En Cali, #ValleDelCauca, nuestros soldados rescatistas trabajan entre los escombros con una misión que no admite pausas: encontrar vida y protegerla. Con la esperanza como motor, adelantan la remoción de escombros y labores de búsqueda empleando un binomio… pic.twitter.com/kRrEj21q8V
— Ingenieros Militares (@Ingenieros_EJC) August 11, 2026
The Colombian Association of Capital Cities, which represents cities that account for nearly half of Colombia’s population, said Pereira, Cali, Quibdó, Manizales and Armenia remain under red alert with dozens of collapsed buildings and disruptions to airports, hospitals, roads, energy, water and telecommunications.
The earthquake, which hit near San José del Palmar on Colombia’s Pacific coast shortly after 7:30 a.m. local time Monday, was the strongest to hit the country in a decade, according to the Colombian Geological Service. It was felt in the capital of Bogotá as well as neighboring Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.
Efforts to search for survivors in scores of collapsed buildings have continued through the night. Images and videos online show crowds of workers climbing piles of rubble and heavy machinery being used in some cases.
Local television showed rescue workers in the city of Cali calling for silence as they listened for survivors beneath a concrete slab. Neighbors and volunteers held up fists and repeated: “Silence!”
On Tuesday morning, Bogotá Mayor Carlos F. Galán shared a video from Cali of a man being rescued around 4 a.m. by a team from the capital. Carlos Esteban Rebolledo, 35, suffered minor injuries, Galán said on X. “Every minute counts and all help is needed,” he wrote.
La solidaridad y el trabajo en equipo salvan vidas. Desde ayer, el equipo de Búsqueda y Rescate Urbano de @BomberosBogota ha trabajado sin descanso en Cali. Esta madrugada, sobre las 3:57 am, lograron rescatar con vida a un hombre de 35 años de los escombros. Carlos Esteban… pic.twitter.com/1CsD5zRBWh
— Carlos F. Galán (@CarlosFGalan) August 11, 2026
In Pereira, Mayor Mauricio Salazar said in an emotional televised address Monday that 66 people had been killed. At least 14 deaths were reported by Chocó Gov. Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi, while Manizales Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas reported five deaths.
Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella — who was inaugurated just three days before the quake — said he had taken leadership of the quake response and established a unified command post for coordination.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration is monitoring the response and “stands ready to support the people of Colombia” and the de la Espriella administration. The State Department said it committed $15.5 million in funding for emergency shelter, food protection and earthquake assessments. The European Union said it had mobilized satellite service Copernicus to help with rescue operations.
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