Rescue crews searched through collapsed buildings across western Colombia Tuesday as the death toll from a powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake climbed to at least 164. Officials warned that the number could rise as emergency teams continue reaching damaged communities and searching for people trapped beneath rubble.
The earthquake struck early Monday near San José del Palmar in Colombia’s Chocó region and was the strongest recorded in the country this century. The shaking caused widespread destruction across western Colombia, damaging or collapsing buildings in cities including Cali and Pereira and disrupting transportation and other essential services.
Cali, one of Colombia’s largest cities, has suffered some of the heaviest losses, with at least 85 deaths reported there. Parts of hospital facilities collapsed, forcing some patients to receive care outside. Pereira has reported 66 deaths along with extensive structural damage, while another 13 people were killed near the epicenter in Chocó. Rescue workers, emergency crews and volunteers have continued digging through debris as families wait for news about missing relatives.
Colombia has declared a national disaster as authorities mobilize additional resources for the affected areas. Security personnel have also been deployed amid concerns about looting, while international assistance has begun arriving. The United States has announced $15.5 million in emergency aid, and several Latin American countries have offered assistance.
The search for survivors remains the immediate priority, with the full scale of the disaster still emerging in some areas. Thousands of people have been reported missing, and communications and access remain difficult in parts of the affected region. As rescue teams work into a second day, officials are preparing for the possibility that the earthquake’s human toll will continue to grow.
