A powerful earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday (August 10, 2026) bringing down buildings across several cities and leaving others trapped in the rubble, local authorities said. The 7.4 magnitude earthquake rattled Cali, Quibdo, Pereira and numerous other cities and towns.Search and rescue efforts were under way early on Tuesday (August 11) in dozens of cities and towns in western Colombia, even as the death toll rose to 111, leaving many trapped under the debris of damaged and destroyed buildings.Colombia’s Geological Service said Monday’s (August 10) quake was the country’s strongest recorded “in the 21st century,” and that it was followed by several aftershocks. Response to the earthquake presents the first major challenge for Abelardo de la Espriella, a Trump ally who was sworn in as President over the weekend.(Text and pictures: Agencies)Photo:
Rescuers work at the site of a collapsed building following an earthquake, in Cali, Colombia on August 10, 2026. Search teams and civilians picked through the remains of destroyed buildings in the country’s third-largest city, Cali, passing large pieces of concrete and other rubble down a long line of volunteers.Photo:
Rescue workers and residents search through the rubble after an earthquake struck Pereira, Colombia. Local authorities said the death toll included at least 40 people who were killed in the Risaralda region, where Pereira is located, and 27 people in the Valle del Cauca region, where Cali is located, including three children.Photo:
