Earthquake today: 7.4-magnitude quake hits Colombia, 20 buildings collapse in Cali; several trapped

A massive earthquake shook Colombia in the morning, with tremors being felt in neighbouring Venezuela and Ecuador, as well as in the capital, Bogotá. The 7.4-magnitude quake had its epicentre in San José del Palmar, a community about 250 miles (400 kilometres) west of Colombia’s capital. At least 20 buildings collapsed in the Colombian city of Cali, with people trapped inside, Mayor Alejandro Eder was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Nubia Córdoba, governor of Chocó, said the region had experienced “a severe seismic event”, reporting injuries and major structural damage to buildings in the provincial capital, Quibdó.

“We have just experienced a major earthquake in the department of Chocó. We are concerned about aftershocks. Although the epicentre was near San José del Palmar, there are injuries and significant damage to buildings in the capital, Quibdó. We are already carrying out a damage assessment and will issue the first official report shortly,” Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba-Curi said on X.

According to news agency AFP, people rushed out of their homes and buildings to safety. However, so far, there have been no official reports of damage or injuries.

Local media footage showed damage to homes and office buildings in several cities near the quake's epicentre. Blu Radio reported cracks in buildings across Cali, Armenia, Pereira and Medellín.

Meanwhile, Medellín Mayor said there were no initial reports of injuries in the city, Colombia's second-largest.

In Bogotá, residents rushed out of their homes, with some even taking to the streets in their pyjamas as emergency sirens sounded, news agency AFP reported.

The earthquake comes weeks after Venezuela was hit by two powerful quakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in quick succession in late June. The tremors destroyed hundreds of buildings and claimed more than 5,000 lives.

The Colombia earthquake struck at a depth of 79 km, making it an intermediate-depth quake. In contrast, the June earthquakes in Venezuela were much shallower, occurring at depths of 10–22 km, which contributed to their destructive impact.

Colombia is among South America’s most earthquake-prone countries, with its position near multiple tectonic plate boundaries and major fault systems leaving different parts of the country vulnerable to seismic activity.

According to the Colombian Geological Service, the country has recorded more than 100 destructive earthquakes, particularly across the Andean region, the eastern foothills of the Eastern Cordillera and the Pacific region.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the country in 1999 killed nearly 1,200 people.

Colombia also lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a vast arc of intense seismic activity formed by tectonic plate movements. It stretches from Japan and Southeast Asia across the Pacific basin to South America.