A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake [1] struck western Colombia on Monday, killing more than 100 people and collapsing numerous buildings.
The disaster has triggered a race against time for rescue crews as they search for survivors trapped beneath rubble in some of the country's most vulnerable regions.
Rescue teams and local volunteers are operating in the Chocó region, where the quake was centered near San José del Palmar [2]. The seismic activity caused widespread destruction, with reports indicating that more than 1,500 buildings were flattened [3].
Authorities have declared a state of emergency [4] to coordinate the response. While the epicenter was in the Chocó region, the impact was felt across several major urban centers, including Cali, Pereira, and Quibdó [2].
Casualty reports vary as the search continues. Radio-Canada, citing AP, said there were at least 111 deaths [1], while MSN said the death toll had reached at least 132 [5]. Other reports confirmed that more than 100 people died [6].
The collapse of residential and commercial structures has left thousands without shelter. Rescuers are using heavy machinery and manual digging to reach those still buried under the debris—a process complicated by the scale of the structural failures.
Tectonic activity in the region is the cause of the quake [1]. Emergency services continue to prioritize the extraction of survivors from the wreckage in the hardest-hit cities.
“More than 1,500 buildings were flattened”
The scale of destruction, particularly the collapse of over 1,500 buildings, suggests significant failures in seismic-resistant infrastructure in western Colombia. The discrepancy in death tolls reflects the chaos of the immediate aftermath, but the high number of casualties underscores the region's vulnerability to high-magnitude tectonic events.
