BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) 鈥� At least 20 people were killed and dozens of buildings collapsed in cities across western Colombia on Monday after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the South American nation, trapping residents under debris, leaving more injured and forcing people to evacuate their homes as far as the capital of Bogot谩.
The epicenter was in San Jose Del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in the Choco region about 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Bogota, the U.S. Geological Survey and Colombia鈥檚 counterpart reported. The USGS said it struck at a depth of 66 miles (107 kilometers). The quake also was felt in neighboring Ecuador.
Local officials confirmed that at least 18 people had been killed in the city of Pereira and two in the city of Manizales.
The quake left cities across the west of the country ravaged, and residents picking through the pieces of the rubble amid concerns by authorities of aftershocks.
Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Colombia’s third-biggest city, Cali, said he saw plumes of dust shoot up across the city from him home in the mountains as buildings collapsed after the earthquake. Residents in the city and rescue workers were already searching the rubble of collapsed buildings Monday morning.
鈥淢y entire house shook,鈥� he said. 鈥淚’ve never lived through such a powerful earthquake.鈥�
In Manizales, a city nestled in the coffee producing mountains con Colombia, one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed and fell on the nave. Jorge Eduardo Rojas, the mayor of Manizales said two people had died in the city 鈥渂ecause of the quake鈥� and asked residents to stay outside in case of aftershocks.
Choco Gov. Nubia C贸rdoba said on social media that 鈥渢here are injuries and serious damage to buildings” in the regional capital of Quibd贸, a city of about 130,000 people. She didn’t provide further details.
Footage shared by local media outlets showed homes and small buildings collapsing in the cities of Pereira, Cali and Quibdo.
In Cali, a city 2 million people, Mayor Alejandro Eder said that residents were trapped in at least 19 buildings that had collapsed.
Small earthquakes, known as 鈥渢emblores,鈥� are common in central and western Colombia, but those above 6.0 magnitude are rare. In 1999, a 6.2 magnitude quake near the city of Armenia, killed more than 1,100 people.
Colombia鈥檚 newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella said Monday that he had personally taken charge of the government鈥檚 response to the emergency in San Jos茅 del Palmar following the earthquake that struck the country.
鈥淵ou are not alone. The state is present and taking action,鈥� he said.
The quake follows two back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes in Venezuela in late June. Those earthquakes destroyed hundreds of buildings and people.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
