WorldA powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, shaking the South American country and neighbouring Ecuador and prompting people to evacuate homes and buildings.Epicentre was in San José Del Palmar, near Colombia's Pacific coastThe Associated Press · Posted: Aug 10, 2026 10:21 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Damage is shown to the Manizales Cathedral on Monday in the central city of Manizales, Colombia, after an earthquake struck. (John Bonilla/AFP/Getty Images)A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, shaking the South American country and neighbouring Ecuador and prompting people to evacuate homes and buildings. At least two people were confirmed dead in Manizales, officials said.The epicentre was in San José Del Palmar, the U.S. Geological Survey and Colombia's counterpart reported, referring to a municipality in the Choco region of about 4,800 people and located about 400 kilometres west of Colombia's capital, Bogota. The USGS said it struck at a depth of 107 kilometres.In Cali, a city of two million people, Mayor Alejandro Eder said that residents were trapped in at least 20 buildings that had collapsed.Patients are evacuated outside a hospital in Cali on Monday after an earthquake struck. (Santiago Saldarriaga/The Associated Press)The ‌city has requested teams from Bogota ​and ⁠Medellín to ⁠aid in ⁠rescue ⁠efforts, ​he added.Choco Gov. Nubia Córdoba said on social media that "there are injuries and serious damage to buildings" in the regional capital of Quibdó, a city of about 130,000 people, without providing further details.Footage shared by local media outlets showed homes and small buildings collapsing in the cities of Pereira, Cali and Quibdo. In Manizales, a city about 300 kilometres west of Bogota, one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed and fell on the nave.Abelardo de la Espriella, just inaugurated as Colombia's president three days ago, said in a post on X that he will personally supervise recovery efforts and install an emergency centre in San José del Palmar. The Colombian Aviation Authority said damage had been incurred at multiple airports in the country.Debris covers a car after an earthquake was felt in Cali, Colombia, on Monday. (Santiago Saldarriaga/The Associated Press)Small earthquakes, known as "temblores," are common in central and western Colombia, but those above a magnitude of six are rare. In 1999, a 6.2-magnitude quake near the city of Armenia killed more than 1,100 people. Ten years ago, a 7.8-magnitude quake with its epicentre in Ecuador, but also felt in Colombia and Peru, killed more than 650 people. The earthquake on Monday follows two back-to-back 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes in Venezuela. Those earthquakes destroyed hundreds of buildings and killed more than 5,000 people.