At least 111 people have died in western Colombia after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday, destroying 61 buildings and damaging around 1,600 others. The quake, centred near San José del Palmar in the Choco region about 400 kilometres west of Bogota, was the strongest recorded in Colombia in the 21st century, according to the country's Geological Service. Dozens of aftershocks followed, and the tremor was felt as far away as Bogota and in neighbouring Ecuador and Panama.
Cities including Cali, Pereira, Quibdo and Manizales suffered severe damage, with rescue teams and civilians pulling through rubble in search of survivors. In Cali, survivors described entire buildings reduced to ruins, while images showed the damaged Manizales Cathedral. President Abelardo de la Espriella confirmed 87 injuries and declared a national emergency to speed up recovery funding, pledging to visit the affected zones. The death toll includes 40 in Risaralda, 27 in Valle del Cauca, nine in Choco, two in Caldas and one 73-year-old in Antioquia, with the locations of 32 other fatalities not yet confirmed.
The remote Choco region, accessible mainly by boat or plane, faces challenges in damage assessment and aid delivery. The U.S. State Department has pledged $15.5 million in emergency aid for shelter, food and response efforts. The earthquake has left many across the Andean nation shaken, coming weeks after two powerful quakes devastated neighbouring Venezuela.
The president faces immediate pressure to deliver aid to isolated areas where access is limited and damage details remain sparse. How the government coordinates relief in Choco, a region cut off by geography and poverty, will test the new administration's crisis response within days of taking office.
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