Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Colombia quake rescue race offers hope as death toll rises
A very strong earthquake shook Colombia on Monday morning.
The quake was so powerful that buildings collapsed in several cities.
Hundreds of people died, thousands were hurt, and hundreds more are still missing.
Rescue workers and volunteers are searching the rubble for people who may still be alive.
They listen for sounds under the fallen concrete, hoping to find survivors.
Many families lost their homes and are now sleeping in parks and shelters.
Helpers are also saving personal things like photo albums and letters from the rubble.
Colombia's new president, Abelardo De La Espriella, promised to help rebuild the damaged cities.
Rescue teams from other countries, including the United States and Israel, came to help.
The earthquake struck only days after De La Espriella took office, making it his first major test.
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Monday, with its epicenter in San Jose del Palmar in the province of Choco.
Authorities reported 287 people killed, nearly 4,000 injured, and nearly 400 missing as of Friday.
Rescuers in Cali and Pereira raced to free survivors trapped under rubble, detecting sounds from a collapsed block that suggested people may still be alive.
Volunteers combed rubble for photo albums and letters, aid workers requested diapers, pet food, and medicine, and the U.N. refugee agency warned of possible fresh displacement.
President Abelardo De La Espriella, in office days before the quake, faced criticism for initially declining foreign rescue offers, later accepted teams from the U.S. and Israel, and vowed to rebuild during a visit to Quibdo.
- Who
- Rescue workers, volunteers, Venezuelan rescuers, aid agencies, and President Abelardo De La Espriella's government, which accepted rescue teams from the U.S. and Israel.
- What
- Search and recovery after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake, one of the strongest to hit the Andean nation in decades, killed 287 people, injured nearly 4,000, and left nearly 400 missing.
- When
- Monday shortly after 7:30 a.m.; rescue efforts continued through Friday, Aug 14.
- Where
- Western Colombia, with the epicenter in San Jose del Palmar, Choco province; major impacts in Cali, Pereira, and Buenaventura.
- Why
- The quake toppled apartment blocks and damaged homes, schools, and hospitals, trapping people under rubble and leaving tens of thousands of families homeless.
Critics
Government
Foreign rescue teams
Critics
Critics faulted President De La Espriella for initially declining offers of foreign rescue teams, saying it hampered the emergency response.
Government
The government said it was focused on receiving material supplies first, and it later accepted rescue teams from several countries, including the U.S. and Israel.
- Magnitude
- 7.4
- Epicenter
- San Jose del Palmar, Choco province
- Fatalities (as of Friday)
- 287
- Injured
- Nearly 4,000
- Missing
- Nearly 400
- Damaged or destroyed homes
- Tens of thousands
- Estimated reconstruction cost
- About 20 trillion Colombian pesos ($6 billion), roughly 1% of GDP (BTG Pactual estimate)
- Humanitarian aid dependency
- Over 9 million Colombians already relied on aid; about 10% lived in the hardest-hit regions (Norwegian Refugee Council)