Colombia Earthquake Death Toll Hits 111, President Declares National Disaster

The death toll from a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday has risen to 111 nationwide, with 87 others injured, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella confirmed in a national address from Bogota.

The president, who took office just three days before the quake, declared a state of national disaster to expedite funding for recovery efforts.

“I am at the forefront of the situation. It pains me deeply what the families and affected regions are going through,” De la Espriella posted on social media.

He detailed the widespread destruction, including 1,575 damaged homes, 37 homes completely destroyed, 61 collapsed buildings, 18 damaged roads, and six airports that have suspended commercial flight operations due to structural damage.

The affected airports are in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura.

The earthquake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time, with its epicenter near San Jose del Palmar in the department of Choco, at a depth of approximately 96 kilometers.

The tremor was felt in the capital, Bogota, about 400 kilometers from the epicenter, prompting evacuations from many buildings. Bogota Mayor Carlos Galan reported only minor cracks in some buildings.

The heaviest casualties are concentrated in the coffee-growing region of Risaralda, where Pereira, the departmental capital, suffered extensive damage. Rescue workers continue searching collapsed buildings for survivors.

Mauricio Andrade, a firefighter in Cali, told Reuters his team had rescued two adult women and two children from a collapsed building, adding, “They are alive. We are making space so we can free them and get them out” .

Local authorities reported at least 40 deaths in the Risaralda region and 27 deaths in Valle del Cauca.

The Red Cross has deployed 30 search and rescue responders to Choco, though damaged roads and airport closures are making access challenging. Aftershocks with magnitudes between 2.8 and 4.8 continue to hit the region.

De la Espriella has installed a Unified Command Post in Bogota to coordinate the government response, with additional posts in Armenia, Quibdo and Cali. The president said he will personally offer an official update every two to three hours.

The Chinese Embassy in Colombia said it has activated its emergency response mechanism and has not received any reports of Chinese nationals killed or injured.