Monday, August 10th 2026 - 19:16 UTC
The toll, as of 12:30 local time, is preliminary
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella reported 111 dead and 87 injured on Monday from the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck the west and center of the country, in an address containing extensive religious references. “I entrust our country to the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said after chairing a meeting of the unified command post set up at the National Disaster Risk Management Unit.
The toll, as of 12:30 local time, is preliminary. The president listed 1,575 homes damaged and 37 destroyed, 61 buildings collapsed, 18 health centers, 52 schools and 17 community centers damaged, 18 roads affected and six airports out of service. The priority, he said, is rescuing people trapped under rubble. The government agreed to declare a national disaster situation, to be signed during the day.
De la Espriella announced he would personally lead the response and issue updates every two or three hours. He will travel to Quibdó, capital of Chocó, with the health and defense ministers, while Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara Restrepo heads to the coffee-growing region and Transport Minister Elsa Noguera to Valle del Cauca. Command posts have been set up in Bogotá, Armenia and Quibdó. The foreign ministry will coordinate international cooperation, and the president said the country's allies had offered assistance.
