Colombia Struck by 7.4-Magnitude Earthquake; Dozens Killed, Thousands Missing
AM730 · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Colombia on Monday morning, July 20, 2026, sending shockwaves across hundreds of kilometers of the country's western region. The epicenter was located in Chocó province, with the tremor occurring at 7:34 a.m. local time (8:34 p.m. Hong Kong time) at a depth of approximately 100 kilometers. The quake caused catastrophic damage in multiple cities, including the third-largest city of Cali, Pereira, and Manizales. Rescue teams have pulled a 6-month-old baby and her mother from the rubble of a collapsed five-story building, while the death toll has climbed to at least 132 with more than 2,700 people still unaccounted for .
Key Points
- The earthquake damaged airports across six cities including Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura .
- In Manizales, the spire of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary collapsed, terrifying tourists and worshippers at the site .
- Witnesses in Quibdó reported people running naked from their homes and residents jumping from second-floor windows to escape .
- President Gustavo Emilio德拉埃斯普列亞, who had been sworn in just days before, visited the affected regions and confirmed 35 deaths in Valle del Cauca province alone .
- A partially collapsed university hospital saw at least 30 percent of its facilities destroyed, with multiple patients buried under debris .
Why It Matters
Colombia's deadliest earthquake in recent memory highlights the urgent need for improved seismic infrastructure across Latin America, particularly in densely populated urban centers. The disaster underscores how quickly normal life can turn catastrophic, with residents in Cali describing how families went to sleep in their homes and woke to find everything gone. The timing of this tragedy, occurring just two months after Venezuela suffered quakes killing over 6,300 people, raises concerns about seismic vulnerability throughout the region .
Colombia's deadliest earthquake in recent memory highlights the urgent need for improved seismic infrastructure across Latin America, particularly in densely populated urban centers. The disaster underscores how quickly normal life can turn catastrophic, with residents in Cali describing how families went to sleep in their homes and woke to find everything gone. The timing of this tragedy, occurring just two months after Venezuela suffered quakes killing over 6,300 people, raises concerns about seismic vulnerability throughout the region .