Colombia death toll mounts after powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes

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The death toll continues to rise after a powerful earthquake rocked Colombia and neighbouring Latin American countries on Monday.

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At least 74 people are dead and dozens of buildings collapsed or were partially destroyed following the 7.4 magnitude quake that struck at 7:34 a.m. local time, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The epicentre was in the west of the country, about five kilometres east of San Jose del Palmar, a rural town in the nation’s Choco region, where officials reported significant damage to homes, building and infrastructure, along with disruptions to electricity and communications.

Temporary shelters were set up as officials warned of possible aftershocks.

The earthquake was followed two aftershocks — 2.8-magnitude and 4.8, respectively — and according to Colombia’s Geological Service, was “the highest magnitude earthquake registered in Colombia in the last decade.”

Colombian president Abelardo de la Espriella said in an X post that he will personally supervise recovery efforts and install an emergency centre in San Jose del Palmar as he appeared to be on a plane headed to the capital.

“To Colombians who are going through difficult times today, I want to tell you: You are not alone,” he added in a news release.

‘No serious structural damage’ in Bogota

Bogota’s Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan said preliminary inspections had found no serious structural damage from the earthquake, adding that the city was preparing to send 100 rescuers and rubble-removal equipment to harder-hit cities.

“Now is a moment for solidarity,” he said in a video on social media. “Bogota is ready to help however it can.”

Cali crews searching for survivors

Mayor Alejandro Eder of Cali, a city of two million, said that residents were trapped in at least 19 buildings that had collapsed, including a motel called the Molino Rojo that crashed to the ground as the quake struck.

Emergency crews, rescue workers and other makeshift rescuers were already searching the rubble of collapsed buildings Monday morning, he shared in a series of posts on X .

Manizales making an impact

The city of Manizales, home to about 475,000 people, opened its sports stadium as a temporary shelter for those whose buildings might be unsafe, according to Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas Giraldo.

He shared in a series of X posts that multiple gas and electrical leaks were being addressed, the city’s cable-car system was shut down after structural damage was reported at a station, and hundreds of emergency workers and engineers were assessing buildings for damage.

More than 12 buildings and 20 homes in the city had been partially or completely destroyed, according to the mayor, including one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral which fell on the nave.

Giraldo also urged residents to stay out of buildings due to possible aftershocks, and asked that people avoid unnecessary travel and to stay off the roads, to allow emergency crews to move to, from and through the city. Rojas also asked that people avoid panic-buying to prevent shortages and watch for pets and other helpless animals.

U.S. ready to lend a hand

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the Trump Administration “stands ready to support the people of Colombia.”

Operations are temporarily suspended at seven airports in Colombia while authorities assess damage from the earthquake, according to the country’s civil aviation authority.

The early-morning quake was also felt in Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela — the latter of which is still recovering after back-to-back earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 hit that country on June 24, killing more than 6,000 people and causing devastating property damage.

—With files from AFP

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