Earthquake in Colombia: more than 180 dead, rescuers searching for survivors

A magnitude 7,4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, leaving at least 181 officially confirmed dead, a toll that local authorities say could exceed 240. Rescue teams continued their search on Tuesday under the rubble of dozens of collapsed buildings.

The quake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time (12:34 GMT) on Monday and spread across hundreds of kilometers in western Colombia. The cities of Cali and Pereira bore the brunt of the earthquake. More than 70 aftershocks have been recorded since the main shock, according to the Colombian Geological Survey, including two magnitude 3,6 quakes early Tuesday morning.

President Abelardo de la Espriella, speaking from Pereira on Tuesday, declared a state of emergency. He reported nearly 2,600 injured, almost 200 still missing, more than 1,100 homes destroyed, and over 8,000 damaged. Thousands of residents of Cali and Pereira spent the night outdoors, fearing further collapses or because their homes had become uninhabitable.

In Cali, a metropolis of 2,2 million inhabitants, 95 people have lost their lives. Mayor Alejandro Eder indicated on Tuesday that 239 people remained trapped under the rubble, 949 were injured, and 45 buildings had collapsed, either partially or completely. Among them was a hospital where several floors, including some dedicated to pediatric care, gave way, trapping patients. In the Calima neighborhood, in the north of the city, four children died when part of the Gimnasio Calima school collapsed; about thirty others were taken to medical centers with serious injuries. Faced with the risk of looting, the mayor imposed a curfew from 20:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

In Pereira, firefighters confirmed 79 deaths. The city closed its streets to traffic to facilitate rescue operations, which are being carried out by hundreds of volunteers. A resident of the Parque Industrial neighborhood described a city paralyzed: “It’s impossible to get around the center. In Bolívar Square, at least one building collapsed. Structures are holding up buses and trucks, and people are afraid they’ll collapse too. We’re all in shock. It was truly terrible.”

In Manizales, Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas announced five deaths and sixty buildings partially or totally destroyed. He urged residents not to share messages from unknown sources on social media, which could "contain false or unverified information" and fuel panic.

Internationally, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his solidarity with Colombia and announced support for crisis management. The Trump administration announced a donation of $15,5 million (approximately £11,5 million). Spain, whose Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares reported that 164 Spanish nationals were still missing with no confirmed injuries or deaths among them, also offered assistance, as did Ecuador, Brazil, El Salvador, and Venezuela.