BOGOTA — The death toll from Monday's magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Colombia rose to at least 132, with hundreds reported missing across the country's western regions. Rescue teams and volunteers are searching through rubble in cities including Cali, Pereira, Quibdo and Manizales.
The earthquake, the most powerful to strike Colombia this century, registered a depth of 107 kilometers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Its epicenter was in San Jose del Palmar in the Choco region, approximately 400 kilometers west of the capital, Bogota.
Within hours of the main tremor, at least 21 aftershocks struck the affected areas. The quake was felt in neighboring Ecuador and Panama, indicating its wide regional impact.
In Cali, Colombia's third-largest city, search teams and civilians formed human chains to clear debris from collapsed buildings. Local officials confirmed at least 20 buildings crumbled entirely, while 380 others sustained damage, trapping many people.
Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, described the moment the quake struck. "My entire house shook," Moncayo said. "I have never lived through such a powerful earthquake. We are thanking God we are alive."
Another Cali resident, Juan Carlos Osorio, recounted the sound of a building collapsing. He said the noise "sounded like a bomb" as he assisted in clearing debris. He added, "All of us neighbors are working together, forming human chains. We need heavy equipment. There are many people trapped."
President Abelardo de la Espriella, sworn into office just days before the disaster, declared a national state of emergency. He said the new administration deployed all government resources to protect lives and deliver aid to affected communities.
"The national government has all of its resources deployed to protect lives, assist affected communities and deliver aid wherever it is needed," President de la Espriella said in a national address. He emphasized, "The first priority is rescuing the people trapped under the rubble."
Preliminary reports indicated 111 deaths and 87 injuries, according to President de la Espriella. However, the Colombian Association of Capital Cities, a think tank, reported 132 deaths and 570 injuries.
The Risaralda region, part of Colombia's coffee-growing area, recorded at least 40 deaths. Its capital, Pereira, suffered extensive damage, with rescue workers continuing efforts to find survivors in collapsed buildings.
The Valle del Cauca region, home to Cali, reported at least 27 deaths, including three children. Communications outages in the largely rural Choco region near the epicenter slowed initial reports, though Governor Nubia Carolina Cordoba later confirmed 12 deaths and 84 injuries there.
Al Jazeera's Latin America Editor Lucia Newman reported from the rubble of an apartment building in Cali, describing the intense search for survivors. The scale of the disaster follows twin earthquakes that struck neighboring Venezuela in June.
