At least 18 people have died in the city of Pereira following a powerful earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday, according to the city’s mayor. “The situation is critical,” declared Mauricio Salazar, the mayor of Pereira, in an interview with Caracol Radio. This is the initial death toll following the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that occurred on Monday morning, with its epicenter located in the neighboring Chocó department.
Furthermore, six airports in western Colombia have suspended operations due to damage caused by the quake, the country’s civil aviation authority reported. The affected airports are located primarily in the coffee-growing tourist region and the Chocó department on the Pacific coast. “Damage has been reported at the airports of Pereira, Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura,” and “as a security measure, air operations at these terminals remain suspended until structural damage to the infrastructure is assessed,” the agency detailed on X.
The powerful earthquake struck early Monday morning at a depth of about 100 kilometers. Its epicenter was near San José del Palmar, in the western Chocó department on the Pacific coast. It was felt most strongly in western Colombia and as far away as Quito, the capital of neighboring Ecuador, as well as in Panama.
“The shaking was super strong,” 29-year-old content creator Valeria Polo told AFP from the center of the capital. “There is no electricity or mobile network,” testified 66-year-old Martha Estrada, who felt the quake in the region. “It was strong, very strong… things fell inside the house,” she added. President Abelardo de la Espriella announced he was traveling to the coffee region to assess the situation.
On June 24, a double earthquake of 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude killed more than 6,000 people in Venezuela and caused massive destruction. These countries are located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of high seismic and volcanic activity due to the movement of tectonic plates, particularly the Nazca and Caribbean plates subducting under the South American plate.
Captured & Published at: 2026-08-10 18:23:42 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://2424.mg/catastrophe-un-seisme-de-magnitude-74-secoue-la-colombie-et-fait-au-moins-18-morts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=catastrophe-un-seisme-de-magnitude-74-secoue-la-colombie-et-fait-au-moins-18-morts