Key facts
- A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia.
- The earthquake caused damage and injuries, with collapsed buildings reported in major cities.
- The epicenter was located in the western department of Chocó.
- The quake was felt in the capital, Bogotá, and neighboring Venezuela.
- President Abelardo De La Espriella is leading the government response from Pereira.
A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake has struck western Colombia, causing significant damage and injuries. The quake, which occurred at a depth of 96km, was felt hundreds of kilometers away in the capital, Bogotá, leading to building evacuations. Footage shared by Colombian newspaper El Tiempo showed a collapsed building in Manizales.
Nubia Carolina Córdoba, governor of Chocó province, confirmed that people were injured and expressed concern about possible aftershocks. The epicenter was located 5km east of the village of San José del Palmar.
Separately, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck near Paratebueno, Colombia, on June 8, 2025, at a shallow depth of 9-10 kilometers. This event caused widespread damage, with nearly 90% of buildings in Santa Cecilia sustaining structural damage and over 100 homes collapsing. At least 31 people were injured, primarily in rural communities near the epicenter. In Bogotá, moderate tremors from this quake led to minor damage in over 150 buildings.
Colombia is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for frequent seismic activity due to the complex interaction of tectonic plates, including the Nazca Plate subducting under the South American Plate and the Caribbean Plate pushing against the South American plate. Statistically, earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater occur in Colombia approximately every 11 years, with quakes of magnitude 6 or greater occurring about every 3 years. Since 1950, over 3,500 people have died as a direct result of earthquakes in Colombia.