Colombia Quake Kills Over 250
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, killing more than 250 people and leaving hundreds injured as rescuers race to reach survivors beneath collapsed buildings. The newly inaugurated president declared a state of emergency and deployed the military as rescue teams, volunteers and relatives continue searches in hard-hit cities including Cali, Pereira and the Chocó region.
A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake that hit western Colombia on Monday has left more than 250 people dead, hundreds injured and thousands affected as emergency teams race to find survivors amid widespread destruction. The worst-hit cities include Cali, about 280km southwest of Bogotá, and Pereira.
Authorities reported dozens of deaths in Cali — a city of roughly 2.2 million people — and at least 40 fatalities in the Risaralda region around Pereira. Officials also confirmed nine deaths in the Chocó region, two in Caldas and a 73-year-old victim in Antioquia. Initial injury reports of 87 were later superseded by government figures that put injured people in Valle del Cauca at about 700.
Search-and-rescue operations have been relentless. Soldiers, firefighters, emergency workers, volunteers and family members have been digging through concrete and rubble, listening for sounds from people trapped beneath collapsed structures. Firefighters reported rescuing two women and two children from a collapsed building, while teams in Pereira said they were in contact with a boy trapped beneath a bakery as cranes removed unstable sections of damaged buildings.
About 1,600 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including the towers of a historic cathedral in Manizales. In Cali, several top floors of one hospital — including paediatric units — collapsed, leaving some patients trapped and prompting medical teams to attend to around 600 patients outside on streets strewn with debris.
President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office days before the quake, declared a state of emergency and said rescuing those under rubble was the government's primary priority. He travelled to Quibdó in Chocó, pledged to mobilise the entire military and police apparatus, and ordered engineers, rescue teams and search dogs to the hardest-hit areas.
Curfews were imposed in both Cali and Pereira as part of security and rescue measures. Local citizen-run websites reported more than 2,700 people missing by Monday night, though that figure has not been confirmed as definitive missing-person data by authorities. Officials have warned the death toll could rise as search teams reach remote and severely affected communities.
For residents of the British Virgin Islands: there are no reports so far of any direct impacts to the BVI from this inland quake in Colombia. However, many in the territory have family and business ties to the region; those seeking to check on loved ones should monitor official Colombian channels and local news outlets.
BVI Live will continue to follow developments and provide updates on humanitarian needs and any calls for regional assistance.
Primary source: VINO