Colombia Earthquake Death Toll Hits 132

News Desk

Bogota: Rescue teams in Colombia are racing against time to search collapsed buildings and reach isolated communities after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed at least 132 people and injured around 570 others.

The scale of the disaster remains unclear as emergency workers continue clearing rubble from affected areas, with authorities warning that the death toll could rise as rescuers gain access to remote locations.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Esperilla said at least 1,575 homes, 18 medical centres and 52 schools had been affected by the earthquake, while 61 buildings were completely destroyed.

At least 21 aftershocks have been recorded since the main tremor, prompting authorities to maintain heightened safety measures and warn residents in affected areas to remain cautious.

The government has declared a state of emergency to accelerate the release of funds for rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts. Officials are also working to restore access to areas that have been cut off by the destruction.

The earthquake struck western Colombia near the Pacific coast, an area forming part of the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire”. The hardest-hit Choco region is among the country’s poorest areas and is covered by dense forests, making rescue operations particularly difficult. Several communities can only be reached by boat or aircraft.

Footage emerging from affected cities showed the destructive force of the quake, with buildings collapsing and residents fleeing damaged structures.

In Pereira, a four-storey building collapsed during the earthquake, while part of a tower attached to a neo-Gothic cathedral in Managua also gave way, sending debris onto nearby streets.

Rescuers in Cali were filmed pulling a six-month-old girl and her mother alive from the rubble of a five-storey building. The infant was covered in mud and dust but survived after emergency workers reached the pair.

In another rescue operation, people were evacuated from a damaged hospital through windows using ropes as emergency workers sought to move patients and staff to safety.

Colombia’s Geological Survey described the earthquake as the strongest recorded in the country during the 21st century and warned that additional aftershocks were possible.

Seismologist Susan van der Lee of Northwestern University said the earthquake’s strength, underground location and horizontal movement of tectonic plates may have contributed to particularly strong shaking and damage in densely populated valleys.

Although deeper earthquakes can sometimes produce weaker surface shaking, experts said the exceptional magnitude of this event allowed powerful tremors to be felt across a wide area.

With rescue operations still underway, authorities are struggling to assess the full extent of the destruction, particularly in remote communities. Officials fear casualties and damage reports could increase as emergency teams reach previously inaccessible areas.