Colombia quake kills over 100 as rescue teams race to find missing | In pictures
A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday (August 10, 2026) bringing down buildings across several cities and leaving others trapped in the rubble, local
A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday (August 10, 2026) bringing down buildings across several cities and leaving others trapped in the rubble, local authorities said. The 7.4 magnitude earthquake rattled Cali, Quibdo, Pereira and numerous other cities and towns. Search and rescue efforts were under way early on Tuesday (August 11) in dozens of cities and towns in western Colombia, even as the death toll rose to 111, leaving many trapped under the debris of damaged and destroyed buildings. Colombia’s Geological Service said Monday’s (August 10) quake was the country’s strongest recorded “in the 21st century,” and that it was followed by several aftershocks. Response to the earthquake presents the first major challenge for Abelardo de la Espriella, a Trump ally who was sworn in as President over the weekend. (Text and pictures: Agencies) Rescuers work at the site of a collapsed building following an earthquake, in Cali, Colombia on August 10, 2026. Search teams and civilians picked through the remains of destroyed buildings in the country’s third-largest city, Cali, passing large pieces of concrete and other rubble down a long line of volunteers. Rescue workers and residents search through the rubble after an earthquake struck Pereira, Colombia. Local authorities said the death toll included at least 40 people who were killed in the Risaralda region, where Pereira is located, and 27 people in the Valle del Cauca region, where Cali is located, including three children. Emergency personnel dig through debris at the site of a collapsed building as recovery efforts continue at night following an earthquake, in Cali.
Residents and rescue workers were searching the rubble for survivors. The local government said that people remained trapped in a number of the city's 380 damaged buildings. Rescuers work at the site of a collapsed building following an earthquake, in Cali. The desperate scene recalled the searches still ongoing in neighboring Venezuela weeks after that country was devastated by two powerful earthquakes. Rescuers move a casualty to an ambulance at the site of a collapsed building following an earthquake, in Cali, Colombia on August 10, 2026. Besides Cali, the quake ravaged cities across western Colombia, including Pereira, Quibdo and Manizales, and was felt in neighbouring Ecuador and Panama. Rescuers work at the site of a collapsed building, in Cali. Around 1,600 buildings were reported damaged or collapsed. The epicentre was in San Jose del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in the Choco region about 250 miles (400 kilometres) west of Bogota, the U.S. Geological Survey said. People dig through debris at the site of a collapsed building as recovery efforts continue at night following an earthquake, in Cali, Colombia. Families posted information about missing loved ones on citizen-run websites. Emergency personnel work at the site of a damaged building after an earthquake, in Cali, Colombia. Soldiers, rescue personnel and families picked through the rubble, removing and passing large pieces of concrete by hand down lines of volunteers. Residents dig through the debris of a collapsed building in Pereira, Colombia, on August 10, 2026. By August 10th night, more than 2,700 people had been reported missing.
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