Overview
- A 7.4‑magnitude quake struck near San José del Palmar in Chocó on Monday and caused widespread building collapses in Cali, Pereira, Manizales and other cities.
- Official casualty totals differ: the national government reports about 181 deaths while regional counts and independent tallies place the toll near 240 with thousands injured and many people still unlocated.
- Rescue work continues around the clock with municipal firefighters, military teams, canine units, specialist brigades and large numbers of civilian volunteers digging by hand to reach people trapped under rubble.
- Hospitals were evacuated or rendered partially inoperative, six airports were damaged or closed, and power and mobile networks remain disrupted, hampering medical care, logistics and damage assessment.
- International aid teams and tools have been mobilized or offered—U.S. DART activation, Mexico’s 255‑person contingent on standby and UN and Red Cross support—but deliveries and deployments are slowed by access problems in remote Chocó communities.