A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on the morning of August 10, at 7:34 local time. According to the Colombian Geological Survey, the epicenter is located near San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, in the northwest of the country, at a depth of approximately 96 kilometers. The United States Geological Survey confirmed the magnitude of the quake, considered one of the strongest recorded in Colombia in recent decades.

The tremor was felt intensely across much of Colombian territory, as well as in Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. The most severely affected cities include Cali, Quibdó, Pereira, Manizales, and Armenia, where collapsed buildings, damaged facades, debris in the streets, and infrastructure damage have been reported. In Manizales, structural damage to the cathedral was documented. Six airports, including those in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura, suspended operations for safety reasons.

The death toll has progressively increased in the hours following the quake. The latest updates from authorities report at least 132 dead and over 570 injured. These figures cover departmental capitals and may not include victims in nearby localities that were also affected. At least 86 buildings have collapsed. The five most affected cities have been placed on red alert.

Rescue operations are ongoing. In Cali, a mother and a newborn were extracted alive from the rubble of a collapsed building, as documented in video footage circulated by local media. Sixteen people were evacuated from a cable car system in Pereira, where passengers were inside the cabins at the time of the tremor and were rescued approximately six hours later. In Manizales as well, the cable car service was suspended due to structural damage. In Cali, the hospital suffered severe damage and a doctor issued an appeal for assistance.

The municipality of Cali imposed a curfew and deployed the military in the city, citing threats of looting. Mayor Alejandro Éder urged the population to stay united and was subsequently removed by his security detail after being struck on the head by a stone thrown during an appearance in the street. Authorities are reviewing surveillance camera footage to identify those responsible.

President De La Espriella addressed the citizens, assuring them that the state is present and operating. Colombian territory is among the most seismically exposed in the world due to its location at the intersection of three tectonic plates: South American, Nazca, and Caribbean. The epicenter of the quake lies in the Western Cordillera, an area already marked by destructive events in the past, such as the magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck Armenia in 1999, causing nearly a thousand deaths.