PEREIRA, Colombia, Aug. 10 (World Daily Times) — A magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Aug. 10, killing at least 111 people and injuring 87, according to President Abelardo de la Espriella and local officials. The quake collapsed buildings, trapped people under rubble and damaged infrastructure across several departments.
The death toll increased through the day as authorities gathered reports from different cities. Earlier updates listed at least 20, 47 and 73 deaths. Because officials released regional figures at different times, the full breakdown has not been clearly documented in the available reports.
Where and when did the earthquake strike?
Colombia’s Geological Service said the earthquake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time on Aug. 10. Its epicenter was near San José del Palmar in Chocó province, on Colombia’s Pacific side.
The reported depth varied by agency and update. Reports based on Colombia’s Geological Service and the U.S. Geological Survey placed it at about 103 to 107 kilometers underground. Another report cited a depth of 96 kilometers. Depth estimates can be revised as seismic agencies analyze additional data.
The shaking was felt across Colombia and in neighboring Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama. Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management and the U.S. tsunami warning system said there was no tsunami threat.
What damage was reported?
Buildings collapsed in Cali, Pereira, Manizales, Buenaventura and other locations. Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder said the city was responding at 25 collapsed structures and 12 critical sites in one update. Other reports put the number of collapsed structures in Cali at 19, suggesting that the counts changed or used different definitions.
Eder said two people, an elderly woman and a young girl, had been rescued alive from a collapsed building and that others remained trapped. Officials also reported people trapped in rubble in other cities, but the available reports do not establish how many people were still missing or trapped.
The earthquake also damaged several regional airports, according to Colombia’s aviation authority. Authorities reported evacuations in affected areas, including Bogotá, as residents responded to the shaking and concern about aftershocks.
Video reviewed by BBC Verify showed a building collapse during the earthquake. The footage documents the event but does not, by itself, establish why a particular building failed or whether it met construction standards.
How did the death toll change?
Early reports from local officials included 18 deaths in Pereira, two or three in Manizales and a death in Buenaventura. Later regional reports cited 40 deaths in Risaralda and 27 in Valle del Cauca. Those figures are not fully reconciled in the available updates and may reflect different reporting times or areas.
The latest supplied update cited President de la Espriella as reporting at least 111 deaths and 87 injuries. He also declared a national disaster or emergency. As rescue and recovery operations continued, the toll remained subject to change.
Were there aftershocks?
Colombia’s Geological Service reported two aftershocks, with magnitudes of 2.8 and 4.8. An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake in the same general area. Manizales Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas urged residents to remain outside because of concerns about further shaking.
The reported aftershocks do not explain the collapse of any individual building. The available information contains no engineering assessment of the damaged structures and no scientific analysis linking the failures to specific construction methods, soil conditions or other causes.
What remains uncertain?
The main facts of the event are established by Colombia’s Geological Service, the U.S. Geological Survey and local authorities: a powerful earthquake struck western Colombia, caused widespread damage and led to deaths and injuries.
Several details remain unsettled. The reported depth ranges from 96 to 107 kilometers. The number of collapsed structures in Cali varies by update, and local death figures do not yet form a complete, consistent breakdown. No full casualty list, building-by-building damage assessment or confirmed count of people still trapped was provided in the available reports.
The available information is based on agency measurements, official statements and emergency reports. It does not include a peer-reviewed scientific study, and no such study has been identified in the supplied material. That means the reports establish what happened and the scale of the immediate impact, but they do not yet provide a completed scientific or engineering explanation for the destruction.
