(PEREIRA, COLOMBIA) – A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake has struck western Colombia, killing at least 132 people, collapsing hundreds of buildings, and triggering a national emergency that threatens to disrupt the country’s vital coffee exports and regional aviation networks.
The quake hit at 07:34 local time on Monday at a depth of 103 kilometres in Chocó Province, according to Colombia’s geological service. Tremors were felt across a vast area stretching hundreds of kilometres, shaking buildings in the capital Bogotá and reaching neighbouring Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama.
The city of Pereira, a key hub in Colombia’s coffee growing region, suffered the greatest destruction. Local authorities reported at least 40 deaths in the metropolitan area, where 65 buildings collapsed. People are believed to remain trapped under the rubble in 15 of those structures. A curfew has been imposed in parts of Pereira until 05:00 local time on Tuesday.
Videos verified by the BBC show at least one building collapsed in Bolívar Square, the city’s main commercial and administrative centre. The damage to the urban core raises significant questions about business continuity and reconstruction costs for local enterprises.
In Cali, Colombia’s third largest city and a major economic centre located roughly 160 kilometres south of Pereira, 32 buildings collapsed. Cali is approximately 200 kilometres from the epicentre and is the capital of the Valle del Cauca region, an area known for sugarcane production and agribusiness.
Colombia’s aviation authority reported damage at several regional airports, including those serving Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura. Disruption to these facilities could affect cargo shipments of coffee, flowers and other agricultural exports that transit through regional logistics hubs.
The Association of Capital Cities of Colombia reported that more than 480 people were directly affected. Deaths were also recorded in Manizales, Quibdó, Medellín and across the Chocó and Valle del Cauca departments. More than 1,500 homes were damaged, according to presidential confirmation.
The earthquake’s epicentre was near the village of San José del Palmar in Chocó Province. Local mayor León Fabio Marín Moncada reported road damage but said no deaths or injuries occurred in his immediate jurisdiction, describing the outcome as remarkable given the proximity to the epicentre.
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office only on Friday, declared a national disaster emergency. The declaration grants special powers to reallocate budget funds for response and recovery, an immediate test of the new administration’s fiscal management. The earthquake occurred less than two months after two quakes devastated northern Venezuela, killing more than 6,300 people.
World leaders have offered support as the scale of damage becomes clear.
In a related development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed solidarity with Colombia and called for international assistance. “Bad news about the earthquake in western Colombia, which also affected neighbouring Ecuador. Our condolences to the relatives of those killed and to everyone affected. Any loss of life is horrific,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, formerly Twitter. He urged everyone around the world who can support affected people and countries to ensure help is provided.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 103 kilometres, with the epicentre near San José del Palmar on Colombia’s Pacific coast. Its impact across the coffee growing heartland raises concerns for a sector that is a major export earner for Colombia, which is the world’s third largest coffee producer. Damage to roads and regional airports could delay shipments at a critical harvest period