Home · World · Aug 10 archive
A {{M|w|7.4}} earthquake strikes Chocó Department, Colombia, causing widespread and heavy damage, and leaving at least 288 people dead.
Developing
In Short: At least 288 people died and 900 were injured as a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Chocó Department, Colombia, causing widespread damage and prompting international support.
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Chocó Department, Colombia, at 07:34 local time, causing significant damage and at least 288 deaths, according to the country's geological service.
The tremor injured over 900 people, with the epicentre near the village of San José del Palmar, where the local mayor reported no casualties despite damaged roads and cracks appearing in buildings.
Despite the earthquake, the city of San José del Palmar was able to resist the impact due to strict seismic-resistant building regulations, which were put in place after previous earthquakes.
The country's aviation authority reported damage at several regional airports, including those in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago, and Buenaventura, while Pope Leo XIV and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed support for the affected areas.
Background
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country located in South America, with insular regions in North America. Colombia's mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east, Brazil to the southeast, Peru and Ecuador to the south and southwest, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Panama to the northwest.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- The magnitude 7.4 quake struck at 07:34 (12:34 GMT) at a depth of 103km (64 miles) in Chocó province, the country's geological service said.
- At least 900 people were injured in the quakes, Colombia's Association of Capital Cities (Asocapitales) wrote in an update on Tuesday.
- The epicentre of the quake was near the village of San José del Palmar, in Chocó province, but local mayor León Fabio Marín Moncada said that there had miraculously been no deaths or injuries - despite the roads in…
- She said as the earthquake hit, cracks appeared in the walls.
- He explained that due to previous earthquakes, the city has "very strict seismic-resistant building regulations" - so his building was able to resist the impact.
- The country's aviation authority has reported damage at several regional airports, including those in Pereira, Manizales, Quibdó, Armenia, Cartago and Buenaventura.
- A spokesman for Pope Leo XIV said the pontiff was "deeply saddened to learn the painful news of the earthquake".
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was "closely monitoring" the earthquake, and stood "ready to support", while EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the EU's Copernicus satellite was being used in the rescue…