A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia on Monday, causing widespread building collapses and leaving hundreds of people dead [1].
The disaster has triggered a massive humanitarian crisis in the region, forcing the government to mobilize the military and thousands of volunteers to locate survivors trapped under debris.
The epicentre was located near San José del Palmar in the department of Chocó [1]. The quake occurred at a hypocentre depth of 96 km [1]. Rescue operations are currently underway in the epicentre region and in the streets of Cali, where crowds are scouring rubble for survivors [3].
President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national emergency following the disaster [1]. The scale of the destruction is significant, with approximately 1,600 buildings reported as damaged or collapsed [1].
Casualty reports vary as rescue efforts continue. One report indicates 180 people have died [6], while other reports state that hundreds have died [1]. The number of people reported missing is more than 2,700 [5].
Search teams consist of volunteers, soldiers, and rescue workers, including the Colombian military [1, 2]. These teams are working to clear debris and find those still missing amidst the ruins of collapsed infrastructure.
Local authorities continue to assess the full extent of the damage across the affected departments. The mobilization of military assets is intended to accelerate the removal of rubble in densely populated areas where building collapses were most severe [2].
“President Abelardo de la Espriella declared a national emergency”
The scale of this disaster, characterized by thousands of missing persons and significant structural failure, highlights the vulnerability of infrastructure in the Chocó region. The disparity in death toll reports suggests that many victims may still be trapped or located in remote areas where communication is severed, meaning the official casualty count is likely to rise as rescue operations expand.
