Colombia Earthquake Rescue Presses On as Death Toll Climbs Past 164

Rescue teams dug through collapsed buildings and flattened homes across western Colombia on Tuesday, working into a second consecutive night after the country’s most powerful earthquake in decades killed at least 164 people, left more than 2,700 missing, and reduced multi-story structures to rubble in the cities of Cali and Pereira.

Strongest Earthquake of the Century

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Monday morning near San José del Palmar, a community of approximately 4,800 people in the remote northwestern department of Chocó, about 400 kilometers west of Bogotá, according to the US Geological Survey. Colombia’s Geological Service confirmed it was the country’s strongest earthquake this century. The tremor was felt as far as the capital and triggered numerous aftershocks.

In Cali — Colombia’s third-largest city, home to approximately 2.2 million people — at least 85 people were killed and 188 remain missing. President Abelardo de la Espriella said 61 buildings had collapsed across the affected region, with 1,575 homes damaged. Eighteen health centers, 52 educational centers, 17 community centers, and 18 roads were also reported damaged or destroyed. A partially collapsed hospital in Cali left several patients trapped under rubble; at least four people were rescued from that site.

In Pereira, multi-story buildings collapsed and a tower of a historic cathedral in nearby Manizales cracked apart. At least 13 people were killed in Chocó itself — the department closest to the epicenter and one of Colombia’s poorest, where more than two-thirds of the population live in poverty and much of the territory is accessible only by air or water.

New President Faces First Crisis

The Colombia earthquake Choco rescue death toll 2026 disaster landed on the desk of President Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right leader who assumed power just days before the earthquake struck. De la Espriella declared a state of national disaster and said the government had mobilized “the entire military and police apparatus” for the response, with 1,000 security force members deployed to Cali by dawn Tuesday following reports of looting.

Cali and Pereira both implemented overnight curfews on Monday. “Our intention is to cooperate in any way necessary. Here, there are no distinctions or ideological divisions when it comes to defending our people or showing solidarity,” de la Espriella told journalists Monday evening.

Chocó’s Isolation Complicates the Response

The response faces acute logistical challenges in Chocó, which authorities have deployed engineers, rescue workers, and search dogs to reach. Most of the region beyond its capital, Quibdó, has no road access, relying instead on air and river transport. Organized crime and guerrilla activity from groups including the National Liberation Army have historically complicated humanitarian access to the department.

Families posted information about missing relatives on citizen-run websites as official communication channels remained strained by the scale of the disaster.

Latin America Rallies, US Sends Aid

Governments across Latin America and beyond offered assistance to Colombia. The United States moved quickly to offer emergency aid, with US officials expressing readiness to coordinate disaster relief through USAID and other channels. Venezuela — currently managing its own recovery from devastating twin earthquakes in June — also expressed solidarity.

The earthquake struck the heart of Colombia’s coffee-growing region, raising concerns about the impact on the country’s most important agricultural export sector in the weeks ahead.