7.4-magnitude earthquake kills 111 in Colombia, 61 buildings down as president declares emergency

]A 7.4-magnitude earthquake ripped through western Colombia in the early hours of Monday morning, killing at least 111 people, injuring 87 more and bringing down over 61 buildings across multiple cities. With rescue workers still pulling through the rubble in search of survivors, President Abelardo De La Espriella declared a national state of emergency and mobilised the full resources of the federal government.

The US Geological Survey recorded the tremor at 12:34 UTC, around 7:34 am local time, with its epicentre approximately five kilometres east of San Jose del Palmar in Colombia's Choco department, at a depth of roughly 107 kilometres. The US Tsunami Warning System confirmed no tsunami threat following the strike on Colombia's Pacific coast. Shaking was felt well beyond Colombia's borders, reaching Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.

Cali hit hard, people trapped

The scale of the destruction became clearer as emergency teams reached affected areas. In Cali, Mayor Alejandro Eder reported that at least 20 buildings had collapsed and that a number of residents remained trapped inside them. He urged citizens to inspect their own properties carefully. "I ask the citizens to remain calm. Check if there are any apparent structural damages in your buildings. If you do not feel safe, if you see very large cracks, please, leave the building," he said.

President declares emergency

Speaking in a national address around midday, De La Espriella announced the formal declaration of a state of emergency and framed the government's immediate priorities without ambiguity. "The national government has all of its capabilities deployed to protect lives, assist affected communities and deliver aid wherever it is needed," he said. "The first priority is rescuing the people trapped under the rubble."

The earthquake also marked a difficult start for De La Espriella, who had been sworn in as Colombia's president just days before the disaster struck, making it the defining challenge of his administration's opening week.

Airports shut, schools closed

The disruption extended to essential infrastructure. Colombia's civil aviation authority confirmed that five airports, Pereira, Manizales, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura, had been closed to regular passenger operations and were being used exclusively for medical and government flights while damage assessments were carried out. A sixth airport, Guillermo Leon Valencia in Popayán, faced separate restrictions due to emissions from the nearby Purace volcano.

In Manizales, the capital of the Caldas region and located less than 100 kilometres from the epicentre, all classes at schools and universities were suspended. The city's mayor's office asked families and students to monitor official channels for updates on when educational activities would resume.

Felt across the border

The tremor crossed into Venezuela, where residents in the border state of Tachira and the central-western city of Barquisimeto reported feeling the shaking. The earthquake arrived less than two months after Venezuela itself was struck by a pair of devastating earthquakes in June that killed more than 6,000 people, with the heaviest casualties recorded along the coast near Caracas.

Colombia's seismic history

Monday's earthquake is a reminder of the country's persistent vulnerability. Colombia sits close to several major tectonic plate boundaries and fault systems, making it one of South America's most seismically active nations. The Colombian Geological Service has recorded more than 100 destructive earthquakes across the country's history, particularly in the Andean region, the eastern foothills of the Eastern Cordillera and the Pacific coast. One of the most powerful on record was a magnitude 8 tremor near Tumaco in 1979.

(With agency inputs)